brokencowboy
Member
LEO's run out of ammo? This story concerns the county I live in. I have a friend who is on the police force in a neighboring county & several months ago I loaded some practice ammo for him to get ready far his yearly qualification.
http://www.statesville.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SRL/MGArticle/SRL_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355631989
Gun users making their rounds count
By Donna Swicegood
[email protected]
Friday, June 6, 2008
A local law enforcement official holds a Glock pistol and its magazine.
Regan Hill/[email protected]
As a competitive shooter and a firearms instructor, Larry Hilton knows all too well the cost of ammunition is rising at a record rate.
“I am more conscientious about the number of rounds I shoot,” said Hilton, a part-time Iredell County sheriff’s deputy and Basic Law Enforcement Training instructor at Mitchell Community College.
In the past two years, the cost of ammunition jumped about 70 percent, forcing law enforcement and competitive shooters like Hilton to tighten their gun belts.
Iredell County Sheriff Phil Redmond said not only has the cost of ammunition risen to record levels, but in some cases, availability is limited.
Capt. Marty Byers, the training officer for the sheriff’s office, said ammunition stockpiles are getting lower and new supplies are on backorder.
“As of right now, we are eight months on backorder,” Byers said, and the sheriff’s office is months away from getting its oldest order processed.
Just a few years ago, the wait was about 30 days, Redmond said.
Ammunition suppliers blame the low inventories and rising costs on a high demand for metals, particularly in China and India, and a weakening U.S. dollar.
During the 2007-08 budget year, the sheriff’s office has spent more than $39,000 on ammunition.
Byers said with the most recent order he placed, a case of ammunition was $147.50. That same case cost about $20 less six months ago, he said.
The increased costs of the materials necessary to make ammunition are a factor, Hilton said.
“Brass has gone up. Copper has gone up. All of the individual elements necessary to make a bullet have gone up,” he said.
Redmond said the costs and inventory issues are not affecting day-to-day safety for deputies, but are putting a crimp in yearly qualifying.
In North Carolina, certified law enforcement officers are required to qualify with their duty weapons, which range from sidearms to shotguns.
The state mandates each officer have a proficiency of 70 percent. The sheriff’s office’s standards are higher, requiring 80 percent, Byers said.
To meet that qualification, deputies and police officers expend a lot of ammunition training, Redmond said.
Because of the low supply of ammunition, the sheriff’s office pushed qualifications back to the fall, but they can only push so far, Redmond said.
“A certified law enforcement officer has to qualify within that existing year or he loses his state certification and can’t carry a weapon,” Redmond said.
Statesville Police Chief Steve Hampton said his department isn’t facing a shortage, but it could be coming.
“We order our ammunition for the year,” he said. A new order will be needed in the next few months, and Hampton said, that’s when his department will feel the impact.
Byers said he also tries to buy in advance, but the backlog means backorders.
Hilton said a lot of competitive shooters tried to do the same thing.
“I stocked up,” he said.
A competitive shooter, he said, will go through 500 rounds in a single session, but now, many are cutting back.
“It hurts the pocketbook more than it did in the past,” he said.
Perry Windsor, a competitive shooter, said he replenishes his own ammunition supply and stocked up on the materials a couple of years ago.
“I found a store that was going out of business and bought a lifetime supply of primer and powder for a lot less than it costs now,” he said.
He agreed the demands for materials needed to make ammunition sent prices skyrocketing.
But, he said, die-hard competitive shooters like himself will likely still fork over the money to participate in a sport they love.
Those who haven’t stocked up and large-capacity users will be dealing with the shortage for a while.
Hilton said the BLET program at Mitchell as well as others across the state will see the impact of the limited availability and costs.
He said a trained law enforcement officer, who has experience at qualifying, will go through 150 rounds of ammunition to maintain certification.
That number rises significantly with untrained recruits, he said.
“We have to have about 1,500 rounds per officer, and with 10 students in a class, that’s a lot of ammunition,” he said.
Like their counterparts who are working as law enforcement officers, BLET cadets have to meet state qualifying standards to receive their certification.
Redmond said not only are the shortages and costs affecting qualifying, it also means speciality units, such as the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, is scaling back on training with live ammunition.
But, he stressed, deputies are still equipped with enough ammunition to ensure their safety and that of the public.
“I feel secure that we have an ample supply for the day-to-day operations of the department,” Redmond said.
http://www.statesville.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SRL/MGArticle/SRL_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355631989
Gun users making their rounds count
By Donna Swicegood
[email protected]
Friday, June 6, 2008
A local law enforcement official holds a Glock pistol and its magazine.
Regan Hill/[email protected]
As a competitive shooter and a firearms instructor, Larry Hilton knows all too well the cost of ammunition is rising at a record rate.
“I am more conscientious about the number of rounds I shoot,” said Hilton, a part-time Iredell County sheriff’s deputy and Basic Law Enforcement Training instructor at Mitchell Community College.
In the past two years, the cost of ammunition jumped about 70 percent, forcing law enforcement and competitive shooters like Hilton to tighten their gun belts.
Iredell County Sheriff Phil Redmond said not only has the cost of ammunition risen to record levels, but in some cases, availability is limited.
Capt. Marty Byers, the training officer for the sheriff’s office, said ammunition stockpiles are getting lower and new supplies are on backorder.
“As of right now, we are eight months on backorder,” Byers said, and the sheriff’s office is months away from getting its oldest order processed.
Just a few years ago, the wait was about 30 days, Redmond said.
Ammunition suppliers blame the low inventories and rising costs on a high demand for metals, particularly in China and India, and a weakening U.S. dollar.
During the 2007-08 budget year, the sheriff’s office has spent more than $39,000 on ammunition.
Byers said with the most recent order he placed, a case of ammunition was $147.50. That same case cost about $20 less six months ago, he said.
The increased costs of the materials necessary to make ammunition are a factor, Hilton said.
“Brass has gone up. Copper has gone up. All of the individual elements necessary to make a bullet have gone up,” he said.
Redmond said the costs and inventory issues are not affecting day-to-day safety for deputies, but are putting a crimp in yearly qualifying.
In North Carolina, certified law enforcement officers are required to qualify with their duty weapons, which range from sidearms to shotguns.
The state mandates each officer have a proficiency of 70 percent. The sheriff’s office’s standards are higher, requiring 80 percent, Byers said.
To meet that qualification, deputies and police officers expend a lot of ammunition training, Redmond said.
Because of the low supply of ammunition, the sheriff’s office pushed qualifications back to the fall, but they can only push so far, Redmond said.
“A certified law enforcement officer has to qualify within that existing year or he loses his state certification and can’t carry a weapon,” Redmond said.
Statesville Police Chief Steve Hampton said his department isn’t facing a shortage, but it could be coming.
“We order our ammunition for the year,” he said. A new order will be needed in the next few months, and Hampton said, that’s when his department will feel the impact.
Byers said he also tries to buy in advance, but the backlog means backorders.
Hilton said a lot of competitive shooters tried to do the same thing.
“I stocked up,” he said.
A competitive shooter, he said, will go through 500 rounds in a single session, but now, many are cutting back.
“It hurts the pocketbook more than it did in the past,” he said.
Perry Windsor, a competitive shooter, said he replenishes his own ammunition supply and stocked up on the materials a couple of years ago.
“I found a store that was going out of business and bought a lifetime supply of primer and powder for a lot less than it costs now,” he said.
He agreed the demands for materials needed to make ammunition sent prices skyrocketing.
But, he said, die-hard competitive shooters like himself will likely still fork over the money to participate in a sport they love.
Those who haven’t stocked up and large-capacity users will be dealing with the shortage for a while.
Hilton said the BLET program at Mitchell as well as others across the state will see the impact of the limited availability and costs.
He said a trained law enforcement officer, who has experience at qualifying, will go through 150 rounds of ammunition to maintain certification.
That number rises significantly with untrained recruits, he said.
“We have to have about 1,500 rounds per officer, and with 10 students in a class, that’s a lot of ammunition,” he said.
Like their counterparts who are working as law enforcement officers, BLET cadets have to meet state qualifying standards to receive their certification.
Redmond said not only are the shortages and costs affecting qualifying, it also means speciality units, such as the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, is scaling back on training with live ammunition.
But, he stressed, deputies are still equipped with enough ammunition to ensure their safety and that of the public.
“I feel secure that we have an ample supply for the day-to-day operations of the department,” Redmond said.
ammo just like I did when I was in LE.
