First-time gun buyers are flocking to firearm shops to feel protected as election results approach. | Mike Pont/Getty Images

A firearms sales spike and ammunition shortage before the election says a lot about fear in America.

America is on edge right now. The anxiety and dread of 2020’s pandemic and protests and presidential drama have consumed the country, and it has been reflected in our purchases. Retail therapy has turned into panic-buying, and many industries are experiencing product delays and shortages. Searches for “bug-out bags,” which are emergency survival kits, exploded in March. All of it is taking us by surprise. Our eyes are on the election, but also on our neighbors, on our social media feeds, and on our deteriorating sense of security, both emotional and physical. People are looking for something that will make them feel a little less helpless, and when