"In the last two weeks, we sold three months of inventory," says Schlofer. "People would come in looking for their first gun. Never owning a gun before, not familiar with guns and we've had other customers who have guns looking to buy more guns or more ammunition. It didn't really click as to what was going on, but I think it was ties to toilet paper hysteria, grocery store hysteria."

Kenneth Michiewicz is an associate professor of psychology at Muhlenberg College. He says a situation like this makes people feel like things are out of their control and they are likely panic buying supplies because it's the only thing they can control.

"If we go and see empty shelves, or see people post on social media about toilet paper or water, that creates this implicit norm that people are collecting things and maybe there's a reason why, and I don't know the reason because there's so much ambiguity about what's going on. So, to make sure that I have some, I need to get as much as possible because I don't know when it's going to be back," says Michiewicz. "People may feel like the larger social system politically, economically, socially, is challenged right now. Even if it's unnecessary to have additional guns or maybe some people are purchasing guns for the first time, this may symbolically represent some degree of security if that's what you associate with security. So, it's not surprising that people would do things that would give them the sense of security, but what is surprising to me perhaps is that guns are what people gravitate towards."

Micheiewicz's advice is to accept and embrace the uncertainty because there is nothing we can do about it.

"Part of what we're dealing with is that uncertainty might be the normal for a while," says Michiewicz. "Sitting back, thinking about it, and becoming more comfortable in that space might be more beneficial than having a knee jerk reaction."

"People were looking for any ammunition, if we were out of one kind they would buy the other kind, just to buy," remarked Schlofer. "It's almost like toilet paper, if you're at the store and saw it on the shelf, you grabbed it."

Gun shops are open by appointment only as long as they follow social distancing guidelines.