UPDATE :
As Coronavirus cases increase, so do gun sales. Mark Fiacable owns Florida FFL and Florida Gunsite in Fort Myers. He tells me his sales were through the roof during March and June. He says people are simply afraid.
“They’re afraid to be out in public, they’re afraid in their cars, they’re afraid in their homes, said Mark Fiacable”.
“You know it’s tough now, we have a quarter of the guns we normally have", said Fiacable.
Fiacable tells me, the supply cannot keep up with the increased demand for firearms. He says the entire pipeline is down.
“All the manufacturers either because of COVID are restricted on how many people can work, and they can’t manufacture the way they normally do, plus there is a shortage of raw materials”, said Fiacable.
Including raw materials for ammunition. Fiacable says he's making drastic changes in his sales.
“So we decided we had to keep the ammunition that we had, so we could sell a box of ammo with a gun. So that all these new gun owners didn’t walk away with a gun that they could not use” said Fiacable.
If you're considering getting your concealed carry permit for the first time - you should know about another back-up. As of mid-March, the state suspended accepting applications because many offices are closed.
“The online system with the Department of Agriculture, you can submit it online but you have to get fingerprinted. The Sheriff's department is not doing fingerprints, the county stopped doing fingerprints, and they won’t allow people like us, who do fingerprint privately, to submit the fingerprints”, said Fiacable.
“Now they cant get what they feel like they need to have,” said Fiacable.
Fiacable says he is working to help people protect themselves, and he hopes things will get back on track to meet the need.
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Gun sales are booming, and one store owner says he can't keep up with the demand.
Mark Fiacable owns Florida FFL and Florida Gunsite in Fort Myers.
He says more people are purchasing guns out of fear.
"Most of them were first-time gun owners - never owned a gun. A lot of them said they didn't even like guns, but they were afraid and thought they needed to have something now."
"They're afraid to be out in public. They're afraid in their cars. They're afraid in their homes," Fiacable says.
He says as more people seek ways to protect their families and possessions, keeping his shelves stocked has been a challenge.
But, that problem is not limited to just his store.
"All the manufacturers either because of covid are restricted on how many people can work. And they can’t manufacture the way they normally do. Plus, there is shortages on raw materials," he tells FOX 4.
That lack of supply also impacts the production of ammunition - leading Fiacable to adjust his supply in order to keep up with the demand.
"And so we decided we had to keep the ammunition that we had so we could sell a box of ammo with a gun, so that all these new gun owners didn’t walk away with a gun that they could not use," he says.
The pandemic has impacted permitting, too.
As of March, the state of Florida stopped accepting concealed carry permits for the first time, as many offices are closed.
But, Fiacable says there're another way.
"The online system with the department of agriculture. You can submit it online, but you have to get fingerprinted."
