10, er 11 reasons why I think the ammo shortage is a good thing

[BSA1]

I, like many others, am flustrated at not being able to buy 22 LR ammunition and reloading components. But when I look at the overall political picture I find the ammo shortage actually very encouraging for a variety of reasons:

1. Although we had been handed stinging defeats in four states in most of the other states gun laws have generally relaxed. Consider that most states have practical concealed carry laws.

2. The increase in CCW carry permits means many Americans are coming to realize the Police are ineffective in preventing crime. The role of the Police is to investigate and solve crimes after it has occurred. Millions of Americans are assuming responsibility for their own protection by purchasing guns and ammunition and legally carrying them.

3. More gun sales means more profit for gun manufacturers. Financially healthy gun manufacturers also means more money and willingness for R&D and investing in tooling to make different types and calibers of firearms. More guns need more ammo.

4. More shooting for recreation and practice meaning increased sales as ammo is consumable item.

5. Increased ammo sales mean more profit for ammo manufacturers and increased production.

6. More new gun owners.

7. A society that is better prepared for disasters/emergencies. FEMA recommends that homeowners keep at least a two week supply of food, water and survival supplies as it will be that long before that can get into a disaster area and restore essential services. Two weeks is a long time if you are low on ammo and no police protection.

The hurricane in New Orleans showed that LEO's are just like the rest of us and are concerned first about the safety of their families and loved ones. Until they are safe LEO's will protect them before patrolling the streets.

8. From the political viewpoint of Big Brother passing sweeping ammunition bans the sheer number of trillions of rounds of ammunition in the hands of common citizens make confisication simply impossible.

9. A armed society is a more polite society.

10. A firearm makes all women and men equal. The revolver is far from being dead with new models and calibers being constantly introduced. It has been reported that women generally prefer revolvers over semi-auto and the self-defense market for women has being growing.

11. With the real growth in the womens self defense market it has created demand for different, more controllable ammo. For example I recently purchased a 22 Mag. revolver for my wife. The Speer ammo I purchased states on the bottom of the box "designed for use in 2" barrels." Up until a few years ago 22 Magnum ammo was designed for use in rifles.

 

[MaterDei]

The ongoing ammo shortage is not a good thing. Perhaps you can argue in the short term, that the cause of the shortage, more gun owners and gun owners wanting to be more prepared, is a good thing. Longer term though high ammo prices will make gun ownership the realm of those with means like, for instance, golf. If that happens, it would be very bad because our continued ability to succeed legislatively hinges on our numbers. The NRA has been very successful lately because of how many of us they represent and how many they can rally to call/write our reps/senators.

btw, you have two #4s, so you really have 11 reasons.

 

[Potatohead]

thats a good point mater..i could see the left trying to slowly slowly over the years try to jack up prices, causing less and less p\folks to take up shooting, and eventually, we just wouldnt have the numbers anymore. most folks wouldnt be shooters, wouldnt care about any gun legislation...i am glad your looking on the brighter side with your top 11 list tho, maybe i should try and brighten my outlook

 

[BSA1]

MaterDel,

Oops, that's what happens when I try to count before I drink enough coffee.

In counterpoint to your and colonel kernel you have not shown any evidence how long high than normal prices for ammunition will continue and the Left conspiracy to drive up prices.

The current shortage has only been going on for four months which is not to say it is not flustrating if you are out of ammo and want to go shooting your .22. However history has with ammo and most all products when supply equals and starts to exceed demand prices will drop. The unknown is how long before this occurs.

As for politics numbers do matter and the more involved gun owners the better. IMHO increased ammo sales reflect more gun owners paying attention and getting involved.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

I agree...

Now we just need these new gun owners to vote!

 

[rwehnau]

Another good thing?

With the panic buying/hoarding/ammo fort construction projects caused by decisions of the present administration, hundreds of thousands of angry gun owners with little to no ammo are going to be a major deciding force this next election

 

[Outlaw Man]

I wouldn't necessarily call it a good thing, so much as the effects of many good things (like the ones you mentioned) happening at the same time.

I just wish we could have all those good things and still be able to buy ammo without camping out. I'll go along with it for a while, though, if it means more people on our side.

 

[Coyote3855]

While your points are interesting, I don't see where most of them have anything to do with the ammo shortage.

 

[BSA1]

Well I originally only intended to make ten points but as MaterDei pointed out I can't count (Well at least I get my morning coffee) ;-).

Point 12. Arguably the biggest reason is the Amercian Caesar Obama has declared his intentions to disarm as many citizens as possble during his second term. I left it off of my list as it has been discussed and recussed so many times. I am introducing some new viewpoints.

 

[Walkalong]

There are certainly positive things about the shortages. Probably hard to see by those who were caught short.

 

[Sol]

The last time I checked, when the price of things go up, they never come down, despite media outlets saying they will return to normal prices....such as gasoline, food, cigarettes and other commodities. George and Barry were both stating that gas prices would normalize, if you call $3.00+ normal than they were right.

Perhaps this is a climate indicator of the status of our economy and not supply and demand of ammo.

 

[Rom828]

When people stop buying overpriced ammo on Armslist that the seller stood in line at Walmart for three hours to get at regular price, the shortage will subside. Around here things never really returned to "normal" after 2008 if you want to include reloading components.

 

[breakingcontact]

I suppose it's like a small correction in the economy. If it's not artificially created and temporary, it's a positive thing. If it's a created and ongoing situation, it's extraordinarily harmful.

 

[leadcounsel]

More ammo means LESS practice for most people. Means more hoarding and price gouging.

 

[Cee Zee]

More shooting for recreation and practice meaning increased sales as ammo is consumable item.

How can we shoot for recreation and practice when we can't find any ammo to shoot? I didn't get caught short. I admit to being a hoarder but I did it before anyone else even thought of it. My only regret is that I didn't buy enough. But the thing is I bought a lot. It's just not possible to know how much "enough" really is. If I shoot up all I bought I won't be able to replace them any time soon from the looks of things. Not knowing how long it might be before I can resupply myself has kept me from shooting what I do have. So my shooting skills, which I spent thousands of dollars to improve over the past 5 years, are now degenerating back to the point I was at before I started practicing a lot. I'm sure it will take less time to get back to the point where I was in 2010-2012 but it will take quite a bit of time and money to get back to that level. And that burns my rear. I didn't expect things to be this much worse than they were in 2009. But they are. Heck I've even thought of selling ammo just to cash in on the surge in prices. But I bought that ammo to shoot and to have if I really needed it. And until this battle with the king is over I will jealously guard my stash just so I won't be caught totally and completely out of ammo. I shouldn't have to do that in America. At this point I don't trust the government, the ammo makers, or anyone else in the supply chain. All I know is I'm down to shooting 20 rounds at a time and calling that practice where I used to shoot 300-400 rounds of rimfire on a light day of practice. And my centerfire skills are getting even worse.

I see very little positive about the shortages. It makes me mistrustful of everyone involved except other shooters. If I had known ammo I was buying for $12 a brick would be selling for $90 a brick I would likely have bought a bunch of it but that would put me in the camp of people I don't now trust. So I'm glad my greed didn't get the best of me.

I just want my ammo back. I want the prices down to legit levels. And they did go back down after the 2009 panic. It took a while but they went down to levels lower than they were in the early fall of 2008. For example a brick of CCI Blazer cost about $15 in Sept. of 2008. By Sept. of 2010 it was $12. Now it's about $90 the last time I saw any at all. That's sick. I see nothing positive about any of this except we have shown the gubmit just how much we want our guns.

 

[Zach S]

The current shortage has only been going on for four months which is not to say it is not flustrating if you are out of ammo and want to go shooting your .22. However history has with ammo and most all products when supply equals and starts to exceed demand prices will drop. The unknown is how long before this occurs.

The last time I saw an ammo shortage was in late '08, with the results of the election. Gouging aside, prices haven't changed much since then, and if they have, they've gone up.

I'm pretty sure I was still shooting $12 Federal Bulk valuepacks in '09, but they were close to $20 when I went to restock later that year. My first marriage ended in 09, finally had money for ammo...

Now, I don't shoot. I cant replace the ammo I'd use at the range. I can find it in local classifieds, but I cant afford $100 for a brick of .22lr, or the "buck a shell" prices for centerfire FMJ.

 

[jrdolall]

Good thing? I don't think the ammo shortage has brought any new shooters into the sport. The Administration has done this and I really can't call anything about theses guys "good".
Our weekend shooting has slowed to a crawl as people are having a hard time finding ammo. I have close to 20k rounds of .22 because I was able to load up in December from an online dealer when I realized .22 was going to become a problem but while that sounds like a lot of ammo we can easily shoot 2,500 rounds in a weekend. We still shoot but we limit the banging away with .22 and 9mm in order to conserve ammo. I really didn't think that 2k rounds of 9mm would be "too little" but now I am a bit worried. I have been able to pick up a box here and there but not enough to replace what we shoot.

 

[BSA1]

I suppose it's like a small correction in the economy. If it's not artificially created and temporary, it's a positive thing. If it's a created and ongoing situation, it's extraordinarily harmful.

Of course it also depends on what we consider to be created and ongoing. The American Caesar is not going to stop his efforts to disarm as many Americans as possible. Factor in the weak economy, high unemployment and the out of control Government debt there are certainly legitimate reasons to be concerned.

More ammo means LESS practice for most people. Means more hoarding and price gouging.

Hoarding is a very subjective term based on your perceptions. It is only price gouging if there are no other sources and the buyer pays it. Like you I am a bit flustrated about the short term shortage on 22 ammo and reloading components. However until the prices and product availability drop to what I am willing to pay I have switched to shooting other types of firearms. Since Blackpowder is available and BP firearms are very affordable I have decided to focus on them this year.

How can we shoot for recreation and practice when we can't find any ammo to shoot?

Ammo is available. Abet in limited supply. Reloading components are also very tight. Blackpowder and BP firearms are available unless a run starts over the recent bombing in Boston.

My only regret is that I didn't buy enough.

Don’t we all?

It's just not possible to know how much "enough" really is... If I shoot up all I bought I won't be able to replace them any time soon from the looks of things. Not knowing how long it might be before I can resupply myself has kept me from shooting what I do have.

Uncertainly and the inability to control future events often create the most fear.

I shouldn't have to do that in America. At this point I don't trust the government, the ammo makers, or anyone else in the supply chain… I see very little positive about the shortages. It makes me mistrustful of everyone involved except other shooters.

Not exactly sure what to make of that broad statement except to say when it comes it the 2A fellow gunowners MAY be trusted. But remember there are those within our ranks that willing to see certain types of guns banned and think magazine and ammo bans are a good thing.

As for not trusting the Government our fore fathers warned about this repeatedly and built protections in the Constitution.

I want the prices down to legit levels. And they did go back down after the 2009 panic. It took a while but they went down to levels lower than they were in the early fall of 2008.

A rational, logical, factual observation.

I see nothing positive about any of this except we have shown the gubmit just how much we want our guns.

And that my friend is a very, very big positive.

 

[justice06rr]

Another good thing I could add is that the increased interest in reloading your own ammo.

I have thought about this for a while now, and after not being able to find 9mm and 223, i will make the jump to reload those 2 calibers by the end of this year.

 

[baz]

Around here things never really returned to "normal" after 2008 if you want to include reloading components.

I buy reloading components mostly over the Internet, or at gun shows. I certainly remember the tight supplies in the aftermath of the '08 election (though they were nothing compared to the current situation). And it eased up considerably after a few months. Prices, and supply, at gun shows came back down, somewhat; there is almost always a "new normal" established by situations like this. This time, prices will probably drop even less, but supply should ease up in the coming months.

 

[returningfire]

My opinion, for what it's worth as Paul Harvey used to say;

Some of you we not born when we had the gas crisis in'74.
People lined up for hundreds of yards just to buy 5 gallons or so for gas, and paid about $.36 a gallon for what we called then Hi-Test, known as premium now.
Oil companies and distributors saw the demand and that people would buy gas whatever the price. Gas jumped to $.79 a gallon overnight, then once it crossed that magic $1 a gallon never looked back and now it is around $4 a gallon. And judging by traffic I see on the interstates, we are still willing to pay whatever they ask for gas because we want it.

Now in 2013, when people are paying $100 for a brick of 22lr, and I saw on a thread here yesterday that 9mm cheap stuff was about $60 for a box of 50. So what do you think the ammo manufacturers and distributors see now? There is nothing good about this ammo shortage, the prices will never be where they were before, and I imagine we will settle for higher prices, and not shoot as much as we did in the past.

It is simple Economics 101, supply and demand. That will never change. I was a young man starting a service business once, and I asked a mentor of mine how did he decide how much to charge. His answer "charge what the market will bear".

What has created more gun owners is the threat of gun control, not the ammo shortage. Higher ammo prices are an indicator of more demand, and in this situation implies either more gun owners, or more ammo hoarders. Whichever, it is bringing about higher ammo prices, and in turn shortages. The ammo industry is in a learning process at this time. They are learning just how much we will consistently pay for ammo, and that will be the new norm for ammo prices. So for example, cheap 9mm is going from $12 to $50 for a box of 50, explain to me again how that is good for us.

 

[Ankeny]

The ammo shortage is having a negative and profound effect on the shooting sports. The local youth shooting clubs quit shooting weeks ago. Turnout of adults at shooting events is suffering. Not good in my opinion.