The Stockpiling Continues

After reading this article, I'd say that ammunition manufacturers have some of the safest jobs in the country. Right now anyway.

In the U.S., ammo sales continue to spike almost a year after the election of our new president. According to the story in Fox News, bullet makers are working around the clock, seven days a week and still fall short of the demand presented by Americans.
The reason for the demand? Many consumers are afraid that President Obama and the Democratic-controlled congress will pass antigun legislature, making it next to impossible to buy firearms and ammunition.

So far nothing has been presented to this effect. The president has even signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks.

According the the NRA (National Rifle Association) Americans usually purchase around 7 billion rounds of ammo per year. In the last year, that number jumped to around 9 billion.
Says Al Russo, spokesman for the Remington Arms company out of North Carolina, "We are working overtime and still can't keep up with the demand. We've had to add a fourth shift and go 24-7. It's a phenomenon that I have not seen before in my 30 years in the business."

To help cope with the huge demand, many retailers are placing limits on quantities that customers can purchase at a time. With some types, the limit is as small as one box, depending on the demand for that product.

Many of these customers aren't running right out to the range though. They're stockpiling everything they can get their hands on in preparation for the antigun laws they're sure are coming someday.



When I read this article, it really came as no surprise to me that the demand is still so high and that companies are struggling to cope with shortages. I think part of that just comes from living in the Midwest.
In this part of the country especially, there are so many Americans who are really not in favor of the president and are positive that's he's going to take away their guns eventually.

It was news to me to hear that many companies have taken to working 24-7 to keep up with demand. I knew that some ammo was harder to find, but I just assumed that was because the production wasn't rising along with demand. It's interesting to me that companies have increased production significantly and still can't match the demand.

I have experienced this personally since my husband is a cop. I'll admit he's one of those who started stockpiling after the election. The closet at the top of our stairs used to be reserved just for towels and sheets. I've had to make room for a bunch of ammo in the last year. He's gotten better in recent months though. Thank goodness! Now he just gets excited if he finds something particularly scarce and he'll snatch up a few boxes.

There for a while I thought we were well on our way to being ready for World War III.

He did also purchase another gun and that was an ordeal. The demand for firearms has increased along with ammo. We ordered this gun in February of this year and it was on backorder. He finally recieved it in July.

I used to work at Academy Sports here in Joplin and I saw the change there too. When I started the job, the store always had a pretty good supply of guns and ammo and had no problem meeting customer demands. Now if you visit the gun counter, there isn't much to see. They have a very limited supply of firearms and have placed pretty strict quantity limits on certain types of ammo, if they're even in stock to begin with.

I understand the reason for all of this fuss over guns and ammo. I realize why so many people, my husband included, have stockpiles of ammo stashed away at home. I even had some of the same thoughts for months after the election. Now though, I'm rethinking some things. I didn't vote for President Obama and am not that crazy about the guy, but I don't think we're in much danger of having all gun rights taken away. I think he plays the fence a little bit and wants to keep both parties happy and that won't happen if strict gun laws are passed.

I think for now, our gun rights are pretty safe. I don't see any change in the near future.