Monday, April 20, 2009

Monday Ammo Commentary...

...in Texas
Retailers and consumers say there may be several reasons gun stores are running out of ammunition — and the cost of what is available is rising.

There’s a widespread expectation that Obama’s administration will follow through on a campaign promise to reimpose an assault weapons ban. Some people fear that taxes on ammunition, guns and other firearms-related materials might drastically increase, as they have on cigarettes.

Administration officials and Democratic leaders in Congress began saying this month that while they hope to eventually change gun control policies, they will not push the assault weapons ban for now because they know how divisive that debate would be and they don’t want to distract from other goals.

The slumping economy — and the angst it brings — is also prompting many first-time buyers to purchase guns and stockpile ammunition. But the economy could also make it hard for manufacturers to get credit to buy supplies to make all that ammo.

Whatever the reason, gun stores nationwide face back-ordered ammunition requests and in some cases a wait of six to eight months for delivery.

As the demand grows, the cost of ammunition is rising — as is the cost of guns and supplies such as cleaning kits and eye and ear protection.
I especially like this comment to the article, which I think does a superb job of summing up what's going on:
jimposter wrote on 4/20/2009 9:06:57 AM:
The salient point that should not be missed is the ultimate goal of the current political ruling elite to discourage and ban gun ownership by citizens. They may differ on the timetable but the goal remains the same. Whether motivated by a misguided paternalism that posits in government an excess authority, or motivated by a belief that guns cause crime, the solution they unwaveringly advance is to disarm law-abiding people.

Demand for guns and ammunition is a referendum on the average citizen's trust and confidence in the government-a trust in benevolence over malevolance, and a confidence in handling the economy and law enforcement. So far trust is losing big-time, and the more the administration and Congress make noises about stripping citizens of their right to self-defense the greater the imbalance becomes. The people are not idiots, and as Dylan once said in another context "you don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows."

12 comments:

  1. Amen brother!. . .now get back to shovelin'

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  2. Anonymous1:43 PM

    I am worried about what is going to happen to the industry when the buying frenzy ends....and it will end.

    When two box a year shooters realize they have a lifetime ammo supply stashed away the industry will see sales fall off drastically. Wholesalers and retailers will be caught with huge inventories that ain't moving. There's a good chance we shooters may end up putting some weak players out of business when the buying spree ends.

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  3. ... OR this could be a perfect time for the various gun game organizations to go into recruiting overdrive to get these new gun owners to use that ammo.

    After y2k the prices of generators and MREs didn't go through the floor.

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  4. Clark Kent3:35 PM

    Could this be the sign of a political awakening that will help restore some sanity to Congress next year?

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  5. stevie reno5:45 PM

    As clear and concise a description as I have ever heard of what we are facing, especially with the democrat congress and President.

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  6. When the buying freenzy ends, I will keep buying as much as I can afford - hopefully I will be able to get a 'lifetime' supply built up for me, my kids & grandkids!!! I am not comfortable with just a few rounds (lets just say a few dozen boxes of each caliber) even if things start to look ok for our rights - that can change overnight & never again will I be less than 100% prepared when things are 'cheap'. Some things are worth getting even if only to shoot just for the sake of shooting!!

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  7. Anonymous7:26 AM

    Anonymous at 1:43pm: I too am one of many who are waiting for prices to return to inflation adjusted historical norms before I buy thousands of rounds (e.g. to replace and build up supplies for one caliber I shoot lots of and another that I just got my first gun that shoots it). "Shooters" (non-hunters) are 1/2 or so of the US gun owning population and a lot of us shoot more than 2 boxes a year.

    But, yeah, it could get ugly. However Black Hills is the only ammo company I've heard of that's spending capital to increase production (they bought/leased new space). I gather that the others are concerned about the inevitable end of this spree so they're only increasing the hours they are using their equipment, not buying more of it.

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  8. Anonymous9:54 AM

    Tam at view from the porch in an excellent general essay on the ammo shortage pointed out that companies are going to have trouble getting into trouble with overexpansion:

    The second reason they won't build more plant is financial. Remember that economy thing? Yeah, well it's still bad. Business loans aren't really easy to get right now, especially for businesses that are square in the middle of the Media-Congressional Complex's crosshairs. When the stroke of a pen could cut your sales by 50%, you are not what lenders call a "good risk".

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  9. Fibber Magee12:06 PM

    Don't know how it is everywhere else but here in North Texas while we have no snow we also have very little in the way of ammunition. I just paid $48 for one box of .380 to go with my new (and un-fired) LCP. Worse, I wouldn't have that if I hadn't known a guy who went to school with the owner of a local gun shop.

    Don't feel comfortable carrying any gun until I've put a couple hundred rounds through to work out the kinks. Guess my new Ruger will have to be a "back-up" to my back-up gun, at least for a while.

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  10. Anonymous6:34 PM

    Here's what I can't figure out, gun shops have no ammo, websites have no ammo, gun shows have no ammo, big box stores like Wally world have no ammo.

    So if there's no ammo to buy, WHERE are people panic buying?!?!?

    Stated another way, if ammo manufacturers are cranking out all this ammo, where are they sending it?

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  11. Anonymous9:33 PM

    Thank goodness I reload.

    I saw this fiasco coming a year or two back and stocked up on primers, powder, and brass accordingly.

    I shot only 7,300 rounds last year. That was just in matches too.

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  12. Yes, the future is in knowing how to make your own. However, there are still large online vendors where you can order and get ammo in reasonable time periods.

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