InTouch with Southern Kentucky August 2020 | Page 14

Hall said that gun sales spiked 71 percent in April and 80
percent in May worldwide due to coronavirus concerns.
Paul’s Discount is another family-owned business with deep
roots in Pulaski County. Opened in 1960 by Paul and Frances
Neikirk, the business which started as an Army surplus shop
is described by their son Joe Neirkik, who now manages it, as
a “unique” store with many different departments offering a
wide-range of goods.
Joe Neikirk agreed that gun sales are “up substantially”
lately. “We’ve had to re-order over and over and don’t know
when orders will come in,” he said. “Our vendors are unable
to really supply what we need as we need it, so we have to
forecast the demand out several more months.”
To what does he attribute the rise in sales? There are
several factors, including things like COVID-19 and social
unrest seen on the news, and gun availability along with
political demographics.
“There are a lot of people that are scared,” said Neikirk. “... A
lot of people just want a gun to put in the house or they want
one for their wife or husband.
“Another reason is they know they want a certain type of
firearm later on, and they’re not sure they’ll get it later on, so
they get it when they can,” he added. “... There’s the political
environment.”
14 • In Touch with Southern Kentucky AUGUST 2020