Marsha Flanery looks at a gun that Chris Albert, owner of Gun Monkey Ammo in North Lima, holds. Flanery and her husband, Matt, decided to choose the local business for a firearm to protect themselves as tensions and panic grow from concerns of the coronavirus.

NORTH LIMA — There was one other customer in the store when Marsha and Matt Flanery walked in to Gun Monkey Supply on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s getting scary,” Marsha said, as the couple stopped for a moment from looking at ammunition.

“People are getting weird out there,” Matt added, referring to recent panic from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Flanerys stopped at the local ammunition and weapons store to purchase a firearm as a way of protection.

Originally, Marsha said they were going to go to a large retailer but saw that the lines were long.

They decided to support the local business, which is owned by Chris Albert, a corporal and police dog handler with the Beaver Township Police Department.

Discussing the idea of getting a weapon for a while, Marsha said they decided to move forward with the purchase after “the way things have unexpectedly escalated” the last couple weeks.

The fear isn’t necessarily contracting the respiratory virus, said Mike K. Vitko, store manager of Gun Monkey.

Instead, it seems to be a fear for protection.

“People are worried about people panicking and trying to break into their house for food and supplies. It’s the panic, not the virus,” Vitko said.

While employees have noticed an uptick in sales recently, Vitko said it hasn’t been the “barrage” that big name retailers have seen.

An employee of Fin, Feather and Fur in Boardman said that over the last several days, there are times when a line forms outside the store.

This is due to employees trying to control how many people are in the store, keeping contact to a minimum.

Using handheld counting devices, employees stand at the door and count people as they enter and exit, keeping that number to 50, the employee said.

Although the traffic into the store hasn’t been overwhelming, Vitko said that it’s been noticeable at Gun Monkey.

“We have a website which helps us and we have the store here,” he said, adding that there is a loyal customer base.

On average, daily sales include a gun sale and ammunition. People trickle in on the weekends, maybe purchasing a gun, but oftentimes inquire about weapons. But since this last weekend, multiple sales have been finalized, Vitko said.

For every gun sold, a background check is completed through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Sometimes, the results of the background check are within minutes and other times it takes days, Vitko said.

Within the last few days, though, “it starts to get heavy when we have five, six” gun sales.

Creating a little frustration Tuesday was that the ATF website was not working.

The most popular firearms being sold at Gun Monkey have been conceal-carry weapons, such as Sig Sauer and Glock brands.

Vitko said that 9 mm ammunition has been flying off the shelves, too.

While some are stockpiling weapons and ammunition, Vitko said it’s good to have defense in moderation.

“It’s good to have home protection. It’s good to have a little bit of rounds put aside,” Vitko said.

afox@tribtoday.com