There was a gun dealer interviewed on NPR today (now, there's an incongruous pairing!) who said, rather forthrightly I thought, that people were buying guns in order to comfort themselves. I guess when they come for your stash of toilet paper and hand sanitizer, you'll be ready!
We already know the power of gun love in this country. There are a LOT of yahoos out there who fantasize about shooting somebody--anybody. There are also a lot of people with manhood issues, for whom guns are substitute penises.
The NPR segment said that the gun dealer reported a sevenfold increase in gun sales, to the point where all the background check requests overwhelmed the computers and many people had to wait until the following day to get their toys, er, weapons.