Along with a rush on toilet paper, the coronavirus pandemic is also fuelling firearms and ammunition sales, says Wes Winkel, president of the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association which represents manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

“We’re seeing an explosion of ammunition and gun sales over the weekend and even more so today,” Winkel said Monday, adding that this is a typical reaction in “these kind of uncertain times.”

Winkel owns and operates Elwood Epps Sporting Goods, a hunting and fishing store north of Orillia. His outlet, like many others that sell guns in Ontario, has shut the doors amid the COVID-19 pandemic and is offering only online and phone-in orders, Winkel said.

“I’m watching the ticker of online orders come in now and yes, honestly, I haven’t seen numbers like this in years. As we’re talking, I’m seeing the sales pop up. It’s quite incredible.”

He said the sales boom is almost at the level of the Obama years, when the then-U.S. president vowed to heavily restrict firearms sales and “within a week we were selling out of all different types of guns and ammo.” The frenzied buying hasn’t reached that level, “but we’re on the verge of it,” he said.

Winkel attributes the surge not to any “aggressive” intent but, in large part, to licensed gun owners who want to have ammunition for hunting and target shooting but fear the supply chain will soon be choked off “quite drastically” over a similar uptick in U.S. sales — “that’s where all of our ammunition comes from,” he said.

And unlike people hoarding toilet paper, Winkel said, there is some validity to supply concerns because of how long it can take to import firearm-related products, under government regulations.

“There’s no import permits for toilet paper,” he notes, and stores are also limited on how much ammunition they can store — so “there is literally a limited supply.”

Winkel believes there’s also some panic-induced purchasing going on.

“There is some of that type of ‘prepper’-type stuff going on,” he said, referring people who prepare for apocalyptic scenarios.

There has also been an “upswing” of people inquiring about the steps they need to take to obtain a licence to own a firearm, he added. Some of that might be driven by the sight of bare aisles in the grocery store, Winkel said.

“What happens if this supply chain doesn’t replenish?" he asks, before dismissing that thought. "We all know that’s quite preposterous.”

Tracey Wilson, vice-president of the public relations for the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights, said she is also hearing about a spike in the number of people are looking to take their Canadian Firearms Safety Course. New applicants for a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) must complete the course and exam before applying, a process that can take months.

Clearly, she said, these gun novices are not aware of the rules that don't let you "even buy a box of shotgun shells if you don’t have a firearms licence.”

Wilson, who describes herself as a “Gun Goddess” on her Twitter account, believes these non-firearm owners might be thinking of hunting as a possible solution if it ever came to a “meltdown” in our food supply.

“As a hunter, I fully understand the panic of people who don’t have a freezer full of venison or moose steaks," she said. "If this goes on for months. I’m personally not worried I’ve got lots of supplies.”

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Still, Wilson doesn't spike in gun ownership has anything to do with people anticipating a need to defend themselves sometime in the future.

“If it got to that point, it would be terrifying.”