Joe Hawk, owner of Guns & Roses gun shop in Toms River, typically keeps his store closed on Mondays. On work days, he’s usually out by 7 p.m.

But on Monday, he didn’t leave until after 11 p.m. and Tuesday’s shift didn’t end until 2 a.m. Wednesday.

The long hours, Hawk said in an interview Wednesday, are necessary to meet the growing demand for guns amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. As anxiety spreads, gun owners are stockpiling firearms while permit applications for new owners have spiked.

“It has been relentless,” Hawk said. “Fortunately, we saw this coming, so we are well prepared.”

As of 8 a.m. on Wednesday, the New Jersey National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is utilized by licensed firearm dealers in the state, said it had received 1,100 new submissions.

“Today’s work will not be completed, as we do not have the staffing to support this extremely high volume,” read a message on the New Jersey State Police website.

The Garden State’s run on guns mirrors the rest of the country this month. The New York Times reported that firearms and survival gear are flying off the shelves in California, New York, Washington State, Alabama and Ohio. A picture on Twitter showed a line around the block for a gun shop in Los Angeles.

In Edison, one of the state’s largest municipalities, Police Chief Thomas Bryan said Wednesday he just signed a “slew” of permit applications.

“We are definitely seeing an uptick in applications for handgun permits and firearm ID cards,” said Bryan, adding that he estimates a 20% increase.

New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the country; someone can’t just walk into a store and buy a gun. Prospective gun owners need to go through a rigorous month-long permit application through his or her local police departments.

This is leaving a lot of first-time gun buyers frazzled, said Alexander Roubian, president of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society. Roubian said the traffic on his website where it displays information on how to obtain a firearm has “blown up exponentially.”

“People are calling us finding out how to buy a gun,” he said. “Despite popular belief, you cannot buy a gun over the internet without a background check.”

Hawk, the gun shop owner in Toms River, echoed that sentiment.

“I tell them what they have to do legally,” he said, referring to potential customers who’ve never owned a gun, “and they just say, ‘I want a gun. I want a gun.' They’re coming apart at the seams, these people.”

In Edison, Bryan said gun permit applications are supposed to be completed in 30 days and his department hasn’t had any issues keeping up with the demand. A new online system has streamlined the process, he said.

Shore Shot Pistol Range in Lakewood is also experiencing some of its busiest days since after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut. Gun sales typically spike following mass shootings because people fear gun laws will become stricter.

“Sales are double our busiest days,” said co-owner Kyle Sherman. “There are no guns left in the distributors throughout the country and ammo is completely sold out from suppliers.”

Like supermarkets around the country, some gun store owners have resorted to limiting purchases to keep a steady supply. Hawk said he’s limited purchases for 9 mm ammunition to two boxes per person.

“Some people want to buy 50 boxes and I won’t allow that,” he said.

On the phone, Hawk sounded frantic.

“If I were to tell you how many calls (we’re getting), you wouldn’t believe me,” Hawk continued. “It’s an average of one call every six minutes.

“They’re asking, ‘What do you have in stock?’ he said, “and they’re not even asking the price.”

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Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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