By Jackie Whetzel, For The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. Toilet paper isn’t the only thing people are running out to purchase as West Virginians brace for COVID-19 to spread locally.
Southern West Virginia’s gun and ammunition dealers say they’ve also seen a surge in purchases in the past few weeks.
“In the past 10 days, sales have more than doubled over what it would normally be,” Flat Top Arms owner Ron Wood told The Register-Herald Tuesday. “We’re selling much more ammunition than we’d be selling even for hunting season.”
Wood said he’s selling a little bit of everything – not just the .556 rounds that people use in the popular AR-15 platforms.
“People are coming in buying every caliber of shotgun shell,” Wood said. Calibers like .38, .308 and small shotgun shells like .410 are all flying off the shelves.
The main reason for the spike in gun-related sales? The coronavirus.
“It’s just, ‘We need to have something on hand in case we have to defend something,’” Wood said. “It’s a source of concern. …
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