As Americans continue to figure out how to keep up with basic supplies, some are also worried about how society might react to the shortages and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To address those fears, some people are buying guns for the first time. But those who study guns and society say shelter-in-place orders and a surge in gun purchases can be a worrying combination, with implications for domestic violence and suicide.

Jonathan Levinson is a reporter with the public media reporting project Guns & America.