COLUMBUS, Ohio — The death toll continues to rise in Israel as the war against Hamas continues. That number is expected to increase after a former Hamas leader called for a mobilization around the world on Friday.
Amidst the ongoing war, a local gunshop owner said he has seen an uptick in business.
“With everything going on in the Middle East, that invariably causes a little bit of an uptick with what happened yesterday with some of the leaders with a call to arms of people across the world and to rise up, it has people thinking,” said L.E.P.D. Firearms, Range & Training Facility owner Eric Delbert.
He says it's not just his shop that has seen an increase in sales.
“Our distributors have run low the last couple of days,” Delbert said.
Delbert said he's not surprised his shop has experienced around a 20-25% increase in sales in the last few days for a few different types of guns. He said it's common when there are major incidents locally and across the world.
“People are on edge, and the uncertainty and crime on our streets hasn't changed. I think it just has people thinking about their safety and the safety of their family a little bit more,” Delbert said.
He explained that there could be concern about products becoming scarce, so customers who may have waited to buy a product will buy now.
“I think people get a sense that there might be a shortage, so it is a little bit of a run. It's nothing like what we've seen during COVID or during some of those other incidents,” Delbert explained.
Despite the current uptick in sales, Delbert said he doesn't expect it to last.