What's the deal with the ammo shortage?

Question

Other than vague remarks about Obama, does anyone know why ammo is sold out at so many places? Did they stop making it, or are people stocking up?

Answer 1

The same deal that makes handguns, certain types of rifles and shotguns fly off dealers shelves: people have stirred themselves into a frenzy because the Democrats took control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives and no-nothings keep stirring the pot.



While new Attorney General Eric Holder wanted to reintroduce the Assault Weapons Ban (partially because of the flood of guns flowing to Mexican drug cartels), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told him no and said we should enforce the laws we have now. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agreed. One big reason? Pelosi hasn't had a change of heart about gun control but enough of the new Democrats elected to Congress (like so many American Democrats) are pro-gun and the ban wouldn't stand a chance. In addition, Pelosi admitted on a news interview that pushing gun control could cost her the Speakership.



President Obama may be a Chicago liberal (a socialist he's not - the Bush Administration started nationalizing the banking industry before Obama took office) but he's pretty practical; gun control is a non-starter right now and is likely to be a non-starter for some time to come. Media polls notwithstanding, most of the American people don't want more gun control, especially when laws are already on the books that, if enforced, would make it a lot tougher for the cartels to get guns from the U.S.



Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you're a firearms or ammunition manufacturer), nobody has been able to get this bit of information through to the wingnuts who are running around like Chicken Little, buying .50 caliber Bushmasters for home defense and screaming that the President is going to turn us communist or socialist (thereby displaying not only their ignorance of suitable home defense weapons but their ignorance of either economic system). As a result, it is difficult to go into a gun shop or sporting goods store and find the ammunition or guns that you want. Therefore, no matter what political stripe you happen to be, you're likely to stock up on ammo when you get the chance, and the problem continues.

Answer 2

It's really the "perfect storm."



1. No doubt there was increased consumer demand for a number of reasons.



2. No one can explain exactly why the Czech, Russian, and Italian manufacturers did not step in to fill the insatiable American appetite for ammo. There is no Obama in Italy. There is no military rerouting of brass in Serbia. They just didn't do it. They left money on the table. Perhaps the exchange rate of the dollar wasn't worth the small margins on ammo, when weighed against the labor cost of ramping up production.



3. Despite what you may have heard, the big three American ammo makers did very little to up their production. This was a myth. They didn't really make any significant changes until March, when they finally began stamping 9mm at a higher pace to satisfy angry wholesalers and retailers.



Find an interview with an ammo manufacturer in an enthusiast magazine. The NRA has four hours of satellite radio every day. Find the podcast from their interview with Remington. Winchester. Find a press release from an American ammo manufacturer which says "Hey, we know there's a problem. We're working on it."



You can't. Why?



Keep in mind this strategy didn't make The Big Three any richer. They weren't selling to retailers and wholesalers at a higher cost. Wal-mart, Bass Pro, *****, Cabelas and Sports Authority still had the same ammo at the same price as always.



It was the Mom and Pop gun shops who tacked on the 3x screw charges.



4. For a variety of reasons, at the same time the Military changed it's policy on brass and panic buying set in, there were no primers to be found for those who press their own ammo. Serious shooters and hard core enthusiasts who would have normally not factored into the frenzy found themselves competing with Johnny-come-latelys like me.



It's mostly over now. Mostly. Retailers ha've stopped rationing everything in my midwestern town except .25 and .380. There are thousands of boxes of 9 on the shelves of the Cabela's next door to me.



More profit in 9 mm and 40 than cheap-o .380 and .25, so little bullets are last on the priority for ammo manufacturers.

Answer 3

Top 10 Reasons...



10 - Iraq War

9 - Afgan War

8 - poor economy

7 - stock piling - use for trading and protection

6 - Eric Holder

5 - The sack of pelosi

4 - Rom Emanuel

3 - The Clintons

2 - Inter American Arms Treaty

1 - the obamanation

Answer 4

Companies are at full speed trying to keep up with people buying and stocking up as well as producing for the war for the armed services. That's the simple answer. True but the fact that the armed services can't sell back the brass they use also counts into it, as little or as much as it does. So it is fair to say that is involved with it. But mainly as everyone will say, it's people think that a huge tax on ammo will be passes so they're grabbing ammo as fast as they can. Do I think this tax will pass, not really, it'll be a hell raising when it tries to, and after 4 years or less, depending if he's "somehow" taken out of office, or doesn't make himself the King of the Soviet states of America. Well get the right man into office and have this tax bashed and removed. If it even passed in the first place.

Answer 5

There was a problem......President Obama early in his administration ordered that all government expended military ammo NOT be sold for reload but ground up and sold as brass...... this not only created a shortage on the ammo market.....put civilian reload companies out of business..... but cost the government millions of dollars in sales..... finally President Obama resended the order........... but not before it created a shortage bubble in the ammo market I would like to think it was not a back door attempt by Obama to support the anti-gun faction of the liberal party.... but I am probably wrong

Answer 6

I'll try not to be vague, but it may be that you just choose not to believe me.



Obama and his ilk have learned that it would be hard for them to take away your gun right, but that is not stopping them from trying to go after your ammunition. They know that your gun is useless without ammo, so you hear lots of talk about "microstamping" ammunition, taxing ammunition, banning of certain "non-sporting" cartridges, etc.

So, everyone is stocking up and hording it away. I can't say I blame them, but it is annoying when you can't even buy a box of .22lr.



So, did you vote for this current administration? I see no signs of the ammo shortage easing up where I live, better get used to the idea that it's going to be years... if ever, for this to get better.

Answer 7

A bit of both. With all the wars going on manufacturers are making stuff for the millitary and not civilians. The prices were going up before the ellection. And people are stocking up before Obama bans or heavily taxes it. If you think ammo can't be banned try buying some black talons or steel core 7.62 Russian.

Answer 8

Obama and Dem majorities in the House ans Senate have people worried because of his record as Senator....and his cabinet members.

We are fighting wars too...and that and lots of buying have stores empty.

Companies are using MIlitary brass so some remarks here are false.The DOD tried to stop Civilian companies from buying used brass...but,some pro gun senators made some calls and wrote some letters after screams from pro gun people and reloading companies reached DC...and the DOD reversed it decision. So we are getting military brass. Don't know how much is picked up in IRAQ or Afghanistan.



I think it will get better soon....save any major war or disaster.

Answer 9

Just wait till everyone who is hoarding now satiate their need and the supply will catch up. I predict in a year or two a flood of primers show up at garage sales when the wives all say "either that stuff goes or I do".

Answer 10

because of obama people are stocking up i believe my dad cannot find anny ammo as well. It is also hard to find brass or primer for reloading

Answer 11

Greed, Market Manipulation, Profiteering, Hoarding, Phony, Fictitious, Artificially created ammo shortage, Warehousing and withholding the supply of ammo in order to drive-up ammo prices further.*

Answer 12

None Vague Obama answer.



He wants to ban guns and put a "10,000%" tax on ammo.



that's is why. We have been at war for several years with no ammo shortages until Nov 2008

Answer 13

This has been covered greatly here. Do a search on this subject and see the few hundred hits you get with people basically asking the same thing.



Here come the thumbs down...

Answer 14

The big reason is because people are so afraid that with a Democrat in office that there is gonna be bans on guns and what not. With the 94' ban people think something might happen again. Basically people are trying to stock pile all they can because they fear that with Dems. running things another gun ban is on the way. I'm Republican but honestly I don't think something major is gonna happen.

Answer 15

This question has been asked and answered at last a thousand times since the last election.

Answer 16

One word....OBAMA. Since Obama's gun proposition, people have been buying and stocking up. Supply in demand.

Answer 17

Obama panic, pure and simple.

Answer 18

It has more to do with the military stopping the practice of reloading their empty brass, and the high price of metals, than any political issue.

Answer 19

one word,



speculation.