GAFFNEY, S.C. -- A serial killer on the loose in Cherokee County has gun shops sold out and hundreds of South Carolinians on edge packing heat.

Many are taking the advice of their sheriff who reminded residents of their right to bear arms in a press conference Friday.

“I just want to be protected, and I know this will take care of me,” Susan Mincey told Newschannel 36, pointing to a 9 millimeter handgun she was buying at Cherokee Outfitters off I-85. “You’re out working in the yard, and somebody comes up and takes you in the house and ties you to a chair and blows your brains out—I mean, come on. That’s spooky.”

Cherokee Outfitter’s owner Frank Sossamon said the rush began around 2 p.m. Thursday. That was shortly after police connected the murder of Kline Cash, 63, on Saturday to the Wednesday shooting deaths of a mother and daughter, Hazel Linder, 83, and Gena Parker, 50.

Hours later, Stephen Tyler was found dead in his appliance and furniture store. His 15-year-old daughter Abby was also shot.

“I want somebody to take the man down. If it comes to me doing it, I’ll do it myself,” customer Ronnie Owens said.

Many of Sossamon’s customers said his shop was not the first they’d tried.  Several area stores and pawn shops were sold out.

South Carolina has no mandatory waiting period for handguns.

The tension had also spread Friday into neighboring counties. Cleveland County deputies were monitoring the state line into North Carolina.

“The state line is just an imaginary boundary when it comes to the safety of people, and we need all the manpower we can to get out here and saturate the area in hopes we can find this suspect,” Cleveland County Chief Deputy Danny Gordon said. “Especially at a time like this, we want all the citizens to just be aware of their surroundings, be aware of where they are going, what they are doing, and who they come in contact with.”