Local gun store seeing more first-time buyers as firearm sales spike

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- PRK Arms in Clovis has seen more first-time buyers in the last few months.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, general manager Elijah Smedley says they've experienced a steady flow of customers and a consistent line of people outside waiting to come in.

Recently, his gun shop, like many others in the state, has seen a spike in first-time buyers. Smedley believes this could be tied to riots and looting happening nationwide.

"For the first time gun buyer, it has been most frequently personal defense weapons," Smedley said.

Information gathered by ABC's data fellows shows that firearm sales greatly increased from February to March. Gun sales jumped by 69,000.

From April to May there was a decrease of 10%, but only a 1% difference from last year. When it comes to ammo purchases, Smedley says, for them, it's about the same as guns.

"A lot of the gun sales are new owners, whereas a lot of the ammo sales are people who already have guns and they are looking to feed those firearms," Smedley said.

While some stores struggle to keep up with ammo demands, PRK is not impacted since they manufacture their own.

According to Smedley, they expect to see another spike at least in July of next year when new gun laws take effect.