It’s been busy at Coyote Point Armory in Burlingame, with sales up in recent weeks.
“The ammo sales is up, we got wiped out over the weekend and I'm expecting a lot more ammo to come in later this week,” said owner John Parkin.
Also going in and out of his shop at a higher rate are first-time gun buyers -- about a 25% increase, just this month.
A trend Parkin says is expected when tensions are high on a local and global scale.
“I just think people finally come to the realization that it doesn't hurt to have a firearm in their home to protect themselves and their loved ones, a lot of people are on the fence,” he said.
Other gun shops in the Bay Area say they’re seeing a similar trend as hostility grows across the region.
A situation experts fear will only increase in the coming weeks.
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“The violence that we’re witnessing in terms of the bombings and violence overseas is causing folks to take things into their own hands rather than really focusing on our shared humanity and the devastating loss on all of the victims in Gaza right now,” said Dr. Jennifer Tran.
She is a professor of ethnic studies at Cal State East Bay and said that during times of war, it's easy to blame and demonize others.
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She also believes the conflict in the Middle East is just one of many pressures behind gun sales.
“People are desperate in this moment and trying to make sure they are not another statistic and so the domestic landscape we’re looking for is layered with the challenges we face in this country around gun violence, the ongoing violence, for instance, AAPI hate,” Tran said.
