Interesting article on ammo shortage

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/04/amm...age/index.html



AURORA, Colorado (CNN) -- Gun shops across the country are reporting a run on ammunition, a phenomenon apparently driven by fear that the Obama administration will increase taxes on bullets or enact new gun-control measures.

"In the last two months it's gotten very, very difficult to find ammunition," says Richard Taylor, manager of The Firing Line, a gun shop and shooting range in the Denver, Colorado, suburbs.

"There are a lot of rumors floating around that the present government would like to increase taxes on ammunition. I think [there is] just a lot of panicked buying going on."

While campaigning for the White House, Obama supported re-enacting the now-expired ban on assault weapons. But there is no indication that the administration will take up that measure -- or any other gun-control initiative --anytime soon.

Nonetheless, some gun owners aren't taking any chances.

Two weeks ago, The Firing Line was forced to impose a four-box-per-customer limit on ammo. Before that, the shop was selling 10,000 rounds of 9 mm handgun ammunition a day.

Some calibers of ammunition have been unavailable for months.

"Currently no .380 ammunition -- I haven't seen any for about four months ... .38 special, it's been at least a couple of months," Taylor says. "It's just that there's been a huge demand and it's far outweighed supply right now."

Taylor says plenty of people are still coming to the range to shoot, but are gun owners hoarding ammo?

"People are buying cases or whatever they can get their hands on and putting it away, absolutely," he says. "The only way that this shortage can have to do with it is that people are buying and hoarding."

Karl Roos, a physician, stopped by the range to do some shooting with his Smith and Wesson .357-caliber Magnum, using some rounds from his personal stock of ammo.

"I have yet to see .38 special or .357 Magnum ammunition on the shelf. The stuff I'm shooting I've had for several years. I just haven't seen it for the last several months," says Roos, who adds he is always on the lookout for fresh sources of ammo. "As I'm doing the rounds of the local stores that carry ammunition, if I see something on the shelf I'll buy it."

"I'm not too worried about things being banned or anything like that," he says. But he notes that many of his fellow gun enthusiasts are scared: "There's definitely a lot of fear."

Jim Minardi, a gun dealer in Lakewood, Colorado, says only a few people are actually hoarding. But they are buying up so much ammo that there isn't much left on the shelves.

"The minority of our customers are stockpiling ammunition," Minardi says. "The majority are standard shooters buying what they can."

Wal-Mart is one of the largest ammo dealers in the United States. In an e-mail exchange, a Wal-Mart spokesman confirmed that ammo sales have been brisk.

"Some Wal-Mart stores have experienced an increase in demand for guns and ammo and for those locations, we are working closely with suppliers to replenish shelves," says William C. Wertz, the discount chain's divisional director for public affairs and government relations. "In some situations where demand is high, so that we can better serve all customers, we will place a limit on the amount of a product that can be purchased."

"It's no different with ammo than other products (toilet paper, batteries, etc.) that may be in short supply for one reason or another."

Each year U.S. ammo manufacturers make about 8 billion rounds, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. Current production data won't be in until late May, but the foundation expects the numbers to be way up.

"In order to keep up with demand for ammunition, manufacturers are working at full capacity, 24-7," says Ted Novin, an NSSF spokesman. "Currently demand for ammunition is outpacing supply."

Novin says he believes the reason is clear.

"The increase in demand for firearms and ammunition is largely attributable to gun owner concerns regarding the current political climate," says Novin, referring to the Obama administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress.

"Many of the lawmakers in power have a long history of supporting legislation that violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans," Novin adds. "Gun owners recognize this and are reacting accordingly."

Ammunition manufacturers have been scrambling to keep up with demand.

A message from Steve Hornady, president of Hornady Ammunition, on the company's Web site reads:

"Here at Hornady Manufacturing we are breaking our own production records in an attempt to keep up with customer demand. We have added extra shifts, machinery and we are also in the process of expanding our manufacturing plant."

Winchester Ammunition posted a similar statement:

"Winchester Ammunition, like other ammunition manufacturers, has seen the demand for our products increase significantly since last fall. To meet that increased demand, our operations are running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

Andrew Arulanandam, communications director of the National Rifle Association, says the "unprecedented ammo shortages are widespread, and they affect small and large retailers."

"We have heard from members across the country in cities and in small towns from California to Maine," Arulanandam says. "There is a fear that Congress or the new administration will push for a firearm or an ammunition ban, or for a significant increase in excise taxes on firearms and ammunition. We hear this from hunters, target shooters and even from first-time gun owners who fear that there will be an effort to incrementally curtail and eventually dismantle this freedom."

Back at The Firing Line's gun range, pilot Ron Cardwell is working on his target shooting with his 9 mm semiautomatic pistol. He loves to shoot and hopes the ammo crisis ends soon.

"I have three or four boxes of 9 mm left at home and a couple of boxes of .45," he says. "I'm just buying as much as I can whenever I can."

oracle

[Iron Sights]

What do you expect from CNN. They are just trying to fan the fire! They just happen to speak with a doctor that shoots? (physician) is too big of a word for me to spell correctly.

[recoil freak]

I was amazed at how hard it was to find 22lr ammo. Are people actually hording it? And why?

[hornady]

Hopefully this . shortage crap is coming to an end stopped in to a couple gun shops yesterday. They both had a few primer and some power, they both said they were starting to get partial back orders in.

[Mteague09]

Personally I think something can possibly come out of this. If that article is spot on and the fact that ammo manufacturers beefing up their production capacity is right... then wouldn't it lead to lower ammo prices once the shortage is over?

I guess it depends on wether or not we keep "hoarding" ammo.

Hey if I needed ammunition fast, I would buy .22 ammo too. The rounds are cheap, every store has them (not anymore I guess), and you can easily amass large amounts of it for a hundred or so dollars.

[ungawa]

What do you expect from CNN. They are just trying to fan the fire! They just happen to speak with a doctor that shoots? (physician) is too big of a word for me to spell correctly.

You prefer they quoted a guy with no teeth married to his sister?

[born_hard]

Atleast they put a good quote in:

"Many of the lawmakers in power have a long history of supporting legislation that violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans," Novin adds. "Gun owners recognize this and are reacting accordingly."

[Bruce]

There is a spike in Concealed Firearm/Weapon Licenses/Permits nationwide (including "shall issue" states), which is rivaled by a surge in firearm sales across the country. Without any "hording", this would, naturally, create a very large jump in ammunition sales.

Why are people suddenly buying guns? Perhaps because the Heller v. D.C. case suddenly made them aware of their Right to own a firearm? Perhaps they have a somewhat reasonable fear that the now left-wing controlled government will successfully impose new firearm restrictions? Possibly a combination? Heck, possibly just because (monkey see - monkey do) they see everyone else buying new guns.

You buy a new gun and, unless you plan on using it as a paperweight, you buy ammo for it. You want proficiency with your new gun, you keep buying more ammo. Multiply this with the giant surge in gun sales, and you will see the shelves where the ammo used to be get pretty bare pretty quick.

Then you have those who interpret the bare shelves to mean some sort of "government conspiracy" is afoot; so they horde ammo in expectation of the Apocalypse (or, at least, new taxes that will rival the recent federal tax hike on tobacco).

The end result? A seemingly sudden scarcity of firearms and ammunition on the retail end of the industry.

Will there be new firearm restrictions? Is the Apocalypse at hand? I would say probably yes to the former and probably no to the latter. In any event, 'supply' will inevitably meet 'demand'.
.

[Delcoadvocate]

Anybody see the letter posted on WisconsinCartridge.com concerning the ammo shortage? It's all our fault. We the shooters, it's our fault. Shame on us for wanting to buy ammo.

[Willtallica]

I'm just annoyed, and upset, because I'm just a poor boy so even if there is ammo in front of me I wouldn't be able to buy it.

I'm just lucky I got a case of 7.62 for 175 shipped at I guess what was the beginning of the scare, because I remember having to spend a good hour searching for the one place that still sold a case of 1k rounds for about 150 ish.

As well as other things 8mm mauser, 7.62 X 51 what ever it is: 308 nato, and some 30-06 for my garand.

All I really have to worry about is 54r russian rimmed rounds, and last I knew they were still just fine.

I guess I'll just start an ammunition manufacturer, and if anyone who has good credit wants to join me then just shoot me a message.