When the number of COVID-19 cases took a sudden exponential growth in Los Angeles earlier in March, we first noticed that hygiene products disappeared from the market. Videos of people fighting for that last toilet paper went viral. And despite all the warnings against hoarding, most supermarket shelves became bare, and many people had to line up for the first time in their lives to get into grocery stores.

All these were signs of the fact that we are indeed living in extraordinary times. As the number of COVID-19 cases and the death toll kept rising and local authorities warned about preparedness, many people did ask the question, "just how much worse could it get?" But no one had the answer to that. The uncertainty only triggered more fear and there were long lines at gun stores long before any of the closures.

But when the Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti announced (before California's governor) the closure of all non-essential businesses, those included gun stores. Even then, some businesses were still accepting online purchases, but one had to wait for the appointment day and drive through the store's back door to pick up the merchandise.

But the closure of gun stores did not even last a few days, as the Los Angeles County's Sheriff Department quickly suspended its efforts to close LA gun stores, leaving it up to California's governor to determine what qualifies as an essential business.

"I feel like we are essential," said James Janya, "I mean, how do you protect yourself? The police can't be at everybody's door that fast." James was glad to be able to re-open a gun store he owns in Burbank, which now receives more customers than ever before.

I went to visit him on, what he called was his "busiest day ever." The line to enter his store wrapped around the alley and some people had to wait for eight hours just to get in. I was surprised to see that the crowd waiting outside was mostly camera-shy. I've previously done a number of gun stories in the U.S. and a lot of the gun owners tend to be very proud of their collection. But this particular crowd did not want to be on camera, and it turns out, a lot of them were first time gun buyers.

James said it's quite ironic that a lot of the people lining up at his door this time around are actually "anti-gun people." Gun control is a long, sensitive debate here in the U.S. and many people have strong opinions about it. It tends to be rather black or white. Some people have owned them for a long time, and some just never have. But this moment appeared to be a breaking point for some of them, who never thought they'd ever have anything to do with a gun, were now finding themselves in a position of getting one.

When I asked them why, "protection" was the word I heard most commonly. More than a few people even mentioned the word "riots." It had happened as recently as 1992. "Who knows," they said. Their rationale was about being prepared for the absolute worse, should it ever come down to that. Many people did not actually believe they'd ever have to use it, but it would give them the peace of mind, especially in a place like Los Angeles, where crime rate is higher than the national average.

Jeff Meade said he grew up going hunting with his family. That's the only activity he ever owned and used a gun for. But this time, he said, was the first time he was buying a handgun specifically for "personal protection." He saw that current situation as "very unfortunate that so many people have lost their jobs and they're not going to be able to afford to feed themselves." 

"They're going to be desperate and then what are they going to do, right? That's really the most tragic thing that's happened, there's no good safety net in this country for those people," he added.

Jeff was worried about a scenario of chaos way down the line. But for now there are no signs of that. Even though, millions of people have been laid off, government officials have approved a number of assurances that include protections against evictions and a federal stimulus package that provides financial assistance to those in need. 

A lot of uncertainty and fear are there, for sure, but I'm also seeing a lot of resilience within the community. The kind of bond that arises during difficult times like these. I do believe we will come out of this ordeal stronger than before. But some, who need that extra sense of security right now, are finding it in personal arms, even if they may never end up using them.