COVID-19: People in New York buy pistols, weapons out of fear

New York City has been the hotspot of COVID-19.  Latest analysis says that the number of infections in the city will outnumber that in Iran.  Earlier this week, the City’s Governor said that 80 percent of New York might get infected with the novel coronavirus and that the current lockdown may continue for 4 months, 6 months or even 9 months.

The residents in the city are reportedly paranoid. So much so, they fear complete chaos due to “social upheaval”.

Driven by paranoia, many of them are buying firearms and other ammunition from weapons shops in the city.  At one place, they waited out two full hours in a queue.  

The residents say that the “panic buying” of firearms is being done because they fear that policemen won’t be available to prevent crimes like looting and burglaries should the situation get completely out of control in the coming weeks or months.  The policemen will be too busy with manning hospitals, etc., they say.