Another Look at the Ammo Shortage

Turns out that Confederate Yankee did a piece on the ammo shortage, too. It was not in response to mine--and there is one very interesting difference. In fact, he's done a couple of items--this one is more recent.

From the first-linked (slightly older piece):

...what is causing our current ammunition shortages here in 2009?

Much of the demand comes from continued high law enforcement demand, the same demand that led to shortages two years ago. Police agencies around the nation have become more militarized in recent years and two trends within this militarization have led to greater police ammunition demand...law enforcement agencies of every size — including some university police forces — have SWAT-type units armed with some combination of submachine guns, assault rifles, and sniper rifles to add to the traditional compliment of pistols and shotguns

Many of the sub-guns use 9mm ammo and a number of police departments are switching from 9mm to .45ACP handguns.

All of that requires a bunch of practice which consumes zillions of rounds.

...rifles based upon the AR-15 are becoming increasingly common as a weapon deployed to police officers outside of SWAT units, for some very logical reasons...

Yah. I'll never forget seeing 6 City of Brookfield LEO's carrying AR's surrounding a car they had stopped on Capitol Drive. That was about 10 years ago, and the first time I'd known that ARs were carried in squads. Up to that time, Brookfield squads had shotguns.

HOWEVER, the acquisition of ARs by lotsa local police (and the training rounds, etc.,) has not resulted in a shortage of .223 (5.56 NATO) ammo--at least here in Wisconsin.

He also mentions the 'usual suspects.'

We have a president that has favored gun bans and who desires to reinstate the horribly flawed 1994 assault weapons ban authored by our rather dim vice president. We also have radically anti-gun majority leaders in both the House of Representatives and Senate, and a Congress quite willing to pass massive, bloated laws without even bothering to read the contents. Fears of encroachment are certainly warranted.

Not exactly news. But THIS is 'news' in the sense that it reflects other events co-incidental with the election, but not political:

As economies become unstable and people lose jobs, crime rates go up. It is an economic fact of life. Many people who are worried about an increase in crime arm themselves during economic downturns, leading to an increased demand for firearms and ammunition

...which would, perhaps, account for the shortage in common handgun ammo, contradistinct to the non-shortage in AR ammo.

Carrying a concealed AR is simply impossible.

From the more-recent link:

Late last night I visited one of the local Walmart stores and swung by their ammunition counter ...The shelves were still at least two-thirds empty, but he did indeed have several thousand rounds of 7.62x39mm and .223 Remington rifle ammunition, along with an equal amount of 9mm, 40S&W, and 45ACP pistol ammunition. He told me it would be gone by sunrise.


He claimed that since late October demand had gone up, and that since Obama won the election, it went through the roof. When he has ammunition to sell, he's pushing out 10,000-15,000 rounds per shift late at night. Two Saturday night's ago, he sold 5,600 rounds to one customer.

Anecdotally, Yankee mentions this:

...an increasing number of people are openly expressing that the reason they are stocking up on ammunition is that they fear the actions of our federal government. These are people who have never been radicals, most could generally care less about politics, and many have never even dreamed of owning guns until now

Hmmmm.

A week ago I got a phone call from a friend of the family, a woman in her 50's, who in almost-Confessional-tone told me that she wanted to obtain a handgun. I write 'almost-Confessional-tone' because after she said she wanted to purchase a handgun, she immediately launched into the standard "confession" lines: "I would NEVER have DREAMED about this 10 years ago. I NEVER wanted one in the house. I'm STILL afraid of guns"....etc., etc., etc.--as though she were telling a priest about her first marital infidelity...

I guess that makes two anecdotes.

Yankee edges toward Apocalypticism:

If our government continues to make citizens feel abused, and makes an over-aggressive miscalculation in asserting their power—certainly possible with our fumbling Attorney General who was part of the Clintonian Justice Dept management nightmare under Reno—tea parties will be the least of their worries.

They should be more concerned they are convincing many Americans to prepare for Lexington Green.

I'm not there, yet; that's not the sense I get from others who are buying guns'n'ammo--nor is it my sense. Tea is fine with me.