U.S. Law Enforcement Unfazed by Gun, Ammo Sales Spike ... Over COVID-19 Fears

Guns and ammo are flying off shelves everywhere as Americans seem to be prepping for a worst-case scenario, but, so far, cops are NOT worried about a spike in violence.

Law enforcement sources across the country tell TMZ ... officers aren't blinking at a record number of Americans -- 3,740,688 according to the FBI -- applying for background checks last month alone.

Cops in L.A. tell us, if people knew how many criminals are out there armed, they would not be worried about this current surge. If anything, cops tell us the biggest concern is whether all these new owners have safe places to store their weapons ... such as safes, gun lockers or lockboxes.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas Metro PD sources tell us they have no problem with people buying guns, as long as they're legal. They also hope new gun owners have had or will commit to proper training.

Cops in Miami echo that ... saying the rush of new sales is all good because they're getting background checks, instead of buying illegal guns off the street.

As we told you ... guns and ammo were flying off the shelves in Florida just hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis implemented a "stay at home" order. And remember that nearly 4 million figure from the FBI? It's the first time it's ever gone over 3 mil in a month since 1998 ... when the FBI started recording sales.

At this rate, the FBI and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System will perform more than 36 million background checks in 2020 ... easily beating last year's record of 28M. This, of course, doesn't mean everyone that applies for a background check will actually buy a gun ... but the numbers are startling, for sure.

But, in the words of Lil Wayne ... cops ain't got no worries.

Stars and Scars You Be the Judge

Our country -- really our world -- has been turned upside down with the coronavirus. So we gotta ask ...

Who Do You Believe Now?

Gov Of GA Saying Didn't Know Asymptomatic Folks Can Spread Virus ...

I'm Going Stir Crazy ...

I Like Staying At Home

We'll Come Out Of This

Better Leader ...

To Pass The Time, I'm Watching ...

Self-Isolation Will Last

'Love is Blind' Casting For Season 2 ... So Who's Gay, Bi or Straight?

"Love is Blind" contestants might be blindsided by their fiance's sexual orientation, but the shot callers sure won't ... they're already asking potential cast members how they identify.

Here's the deal ... the popular Netflix reality dating show was recently renewed for a second season and is currently casting in the Chicago area, with producers asking a pretty personal and important question: What's your sexual orientation???

Remember, it became a huge deal first season ... Carlton didn't tell Diamond he was bisexual until AFTER they got engaged, leading to an epic spat and some much-needed therapy.

The questionnaire asks potential cast members if they consider themselves straight, gay, bisexual or other.

The other casting questions are pretty standard ... age, ethnicity, hair color, eye color, occupation, hobbies etc. Casting also wants face photos and complete body shots.

There's also questions about dating status, where the applicant meets prospective mates, what qualities they look for and deal-breakers like religion, ethnicity and cultural differences.

The casting call also asks about cigarette and alcohol use, desired and undesired physical traits in a partner, and descriptions of current dating history and longest relationships.

Interesting ... no questions about politics, which has become a tried-and-true dealbreaker.

THE WORLD HATES ME
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The big question now ... do producers want another Carlton situation or not?!?

WWE Legend Mark Henry WrestleMania 36 ... Could Get 200 Million Viewers!!!

STAY IN AND TUNE IN
TMZSports.com

WWE legend Mark Henry believes WrestleMania 36 will be the most-watched U.S. sporting event EVER ... telling TMZ Sports the 2-night show could get 200 MILLION VIEWERS!!!

"What can WrestleMania do, two days?! Livestreaming and watching a network?! That could be 200 MILLION people watching," Henry says.

Let that sink in.

To compare, the most-watched Super Bowl is XLIX, which reportedly attracted 114 million. The only other U.S. TV event to beat that was the moon landing with an estimated 125-150 million tuning in.

Of course, there have been major changes to this year's WrestleMania due to the coronavirus pandemic ... with Vince McMahon's org. electing to keep fans home and splitting the Rob Gronkowski-hosted event into 2 nights.

We spoke with Henry about the different approach this year ... and he thinks this could be a monumental moment in sports history.

"I think 20 years from now, we'll talk about this moment in history and it will be like 'hey man, the only thing that was on television during that time was pro wrestling,'" Henry tells us.

Henry points out the massively successful IG Live DJ set by D-Nice that helped people from Drake to Michelle Obama to Rihanna pass the time in quarantine ... and thinks WrestleMania can fill a similar void for people in desperate need of sports content.

FYI -- the most-watched WrestleMania is 33 ... which was reportedly seen by 1.95 million people. So yeah, Henry thinks this will SHATTER that record.

Remember, he says this year could get 200 MILLION.

We also asked Henry if he would be willing to participate in the event if he was in his prime ... and you gotta love his response!!

Kobe Bryant Hall of Fame Class of 2020 ... With KG, Duncan

Kobe Bryant will be inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020 -- alongside Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

Players become eligible 4 seasons after their last game -- and with Kobe retiring in 2016, this was his first opportunity to get in.

The ceremony (which will be formally announced on Saturday) will take place at The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA in August, according to Shams Charania.

It's a no-brainer -- Kobe is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time ... during his 20-year run with the Lakers, Kobe won 5 NBA titles and made the All-Star team 18 times!

Need more stats? He was also a 2-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA MVP, 2-time NBA scoring champ, 9-time NBA All-Defensive Team and he won the Dunk Contest in '97!

Of course, Kobe passed away on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. He was only 41.

Many of Kobe's friends and family members have talked about how important it was for Kobe to get in the HOF. Shaquille O'Neal even spoke about it on "Inside the NBA" in the days after Kobe's death.

"The fact that we're not gonna be able to joke at his Hall of Fame ceremony, we're not gonna be able to say, 'Haha, I got 5 (championships), you got 4,' the fact that we're not gonna be able to say, 'If we would've stayed together, we could've got 10' ... those were the things you can't get back."

The ceremony will undoubtedly be emotional. No word yet on who will speak on Kobe's behalf.

WWE's Becky Lynch Sends Amazing Video to Autistic Fan ... 'I'll Make You Proud!!!'

WINNING FOR YOU!

WWE superstar Becky Lynch really is "The Man" -- because when she found out an 11-year-old superfan with autism was bummed about not being able to go to WrestleMania, she made a special video just for him!

Yeah, might wanna get that tissue box ...

Here's the backstory ... WWE legend Mick Foley met 11-year-old Branden a few months ago at a barbershop in Florida and they bonded over their love of pro wrestling.

In fact, Branden was all set to attend WrestleMania 36 in Tampa to watch his favorite wrestler, Becky Lynch ... but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans are no longer allowed at the event.

Mick tells TMZ Sports ... he was trying to think of ways to lift Branden's spirits -- so he reached out to Becky to see if she would send him an uplifting video message.

AND, BOY, DID SHE DELIVER!!!

"Hi Branden it is ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch," she said ... "I hear that you’re a huge fan and I want to thank you for all of your support!"

Ya gotta watch the video -- not only does Becky say she's dedicating the match to him, but she adds, "I'll make you proud!"

We also got video of Branden's reaction when his parents played him the video -- amazing stuff!

A MESSAGE TO BRAnDEN
TMZSports.com

Of course, gotta give a HUUUUGE shout out to Mick Foley for making it happen -- the WWE Hall of Famer has been on a mission to spread joy and cheer ever since the pandemic began.

MAKIN' PEOPLE SMILE
TMZSports.com

Foley says his goal is to make 1,000 FREE videos to send out to fans all around the world because he knows it will make people smile.

C'mon ... IS THIS GUY AWESOME OR WHAT!?!

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