Hungary's gun industry booming as people panic amid pandemic

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First it was supermarkets, and now gun shops in Hungary are reporting a boost in customers as the coronavirus pandemic worsens.

A license is required to own live ammunition weapons in Hungary, but light arms, including rubber bullet guns and tear gas, can be purchased by anyone older than 18.

"The panic caused by the virus outbreak evoked such a feeling of insecurity in people that they try to compensate with something tangible, a tool in hand," says Gabor Vass, a gun shop owner and editor in chief of

Kaliber

magazine.

Gun controls are tight in Eastern Europe, but it is possible to buy non-military-grade weapons without a license.

The country's biggest retailer of light arms says sales are five times higher than usual, resulting in shortages of guns – including pistols that shoot tear gas and guns that use rubber bullets.

"I think that this panic now is irrational, as people were getting ready for a zombie-apocalypse," Vass says.

"However, if it goes on like this and the economy falls like dominoes, there will be more and more people unemployed, the general situation gets worse in the country. Now, this would really cause more crime."

The gun industry in Hungary has been boosted by the pandemic. /AP

It's not isolated behavior – the U.S. has also noted a jump in gun and ammunition sales as the pandemic worsens.

One Hungarian mental health expert says anxiety over the pandemic causes people to behave differently.

"Because of the lack of certainty, people start to do nonsense things. Even in Hungary, a quiet country where guns are not allowed, people made the gun stores empty," counsellor Attila Gilanyi says.

Unlike neighboring countries, Hungary has allowed most shops to stay open, including tobacco stores, nail parlors and gun shops.

That's despite a lockdown, which stipulates people should only leave the house for a "substantial reason."

Police and some military are enforcing the mandate, but are mostly issuing warnings, with fewer than 30 fines handed out as of Thursday.

A government spokesman says there has not been an increase in crime since the state of emergency was introduced on 11 March.

Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, says he has tried to protect the economy as much as possible, and in the coming days, plans to unveil what he calls "the biggest and most comprehensive action plan" in Hungary's history, aimed at boosting economic growth.

For now, it appears some anxious Hungarians are spending their money on protection, fearing things will get worse before they get better.