Was this shortage of firearms and ammo caused just from a buying frenzy of the American public?
Ok for a few years now there has been a shortage of ammo and some types of firearms. Many claimed it was the American gun owners fault.
Well here are some links to help you answer this question of mine; Was this shortage of firearms and ammo caused just from a buying frenzy of the American public?
Maybe one reason?
http://www.theshootist.net/2009/03/dod-ends-sale-of-expended-military.html
Also the USA is handing out guns and ammo in Iraq;
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Iraqs-Military-Requesting-139B-in-Weapons-Vehicles-and-Equipment-04816/#more-4816
Look at all these guns that vanished in Iraq;
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hlyq1-3kp2i5jwd0zh0KrO1L7xJQ
And what do we have here?
Pentagon Plans to Sell 135,579 Guns, 169 Million Rounds of Ammo to Iraq
http://www.dsca.mil/PressReleases/36-b/2007/Iraq_07-64.pdf
US Police Run Short of Ammo as American Wars Consume Billions of Bullets
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/27/AR2007082701793_pf.html
Oh I found tons more. But I hope that’s enough to answer my question.
Posted in military firearms
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Okieroad: Easy to insult somebody from behind a computer… isn’t it?
Anyway beeds, you bring up a pretty good point. The public got the notion that "Obama is gonna take our guns and ammo" (while true),
and people started buying anything, and everything they could find… a total overreaction. It’s not the war making ammo costs go up, it’s people buying copious amounts of ammunition they’ll never use, and the ammo companies picking up on that, jacking up the price as the
demand increases.
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
This is a question and answer forum, and you aren’t supposed to answer your own question. Ammo has not been in short supply for "years", but for less than 1 year.
If you were to search YA, you’d see that your question has been answered hundreds of times already. Stop beating a dead horse.
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Okieroad is an opinionated democrat who wouldn’t accept a fact if it bit him in the rear.
The media has been controlled by the liberals in the usa so stories that show what is really going on are omitted from the main stream press. They want the public to look down on gun owners blame them for Mexican criminals for havin guns and anything else they can dream up.
Whats going on is the wars sucking up ammo and people hording ammo. I know the wars are using more ammo that the public and I also know much of that is falling into enemy hands.
What I find strange is Yahoo finaly ran a story about the ammo shortage but left out the other causes of it.
And I don’t know where okieroad has been since it all started in 2007. That’s when many police departments had problems getting ammo.
Now over in Iraq and Pakistan we have the enemy shooting at us with guns and ammo we provided that was stolen, fact of how uncle sam cant keep track of things.
I don’t care if every American in this country buys massive amounts of guns and ammo, they have every right to do so. At least for now they do.
So I think the wars are more responsible for the shortages.
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
I Believe if the Truth were to be told you would find that because of the $$$$$ involved and Profits gained by Ammo Manufacturers, and Arms Dealers, and Government Contracts, that they are the ones Responsible, not the American Hunter, Shooter, Re-loaders, Gun Owners, and American Sportsman.* We are the ones that were intentionally short sheeted on Ammo and Components, and not made a Priority in the Manufacturing of Ammo and Components.* So huge profits were made by those Responsible by ignoring, and creating a Shortage and Inflated High Prices to the American Hunter, Shooter, Re-loader, Gun Owners and American Sportsman.* Like a Double edged sword they really cut us to ribbons for personal gain and profits.*>$$$$<* They sold us out, and stole our wallets at the same time.*… Follow the $$$$$ Trail.*
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
If you were saying that we were short on ammo like 9mm, 5.56mm and maybe 7.62mm, I’d say you might have a point, because that’s what we would be handing out or selling to others.
So how do you explain the shortage of .357 Magnum ammo? Or are military and allied fighters now carrying .357 Revolvers? Or .22 LR. For a long time I could not find that. Or .380. The list goes on.
For a good 4 or 5 months, virtually all handgun ammo was hard to get.
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
The military scrapping its brass is exceptionally stupid, and another slap at the taxpayer, but it’s also just the sort of thing our government has been good at ever since the adoption of the 16th Amendment.
I’d also point out that it’s rather silly for police departments to arm themselves with 9mm handguns and 5.56×45 rifles. Police agencies that have had problems feeding those rounds into their firearms have brought it on themselves.
Certainly Iraq has caused some problems, too, but that isn’t something that’s exactly unexpected.
Put it all together, and those are still only minor problems compared to the panic buying and hoarding.
I have two or three dozen firearms, but here are some calibers I don’t have: 223 Remington/5.56×45, 308 Winchester/7.62×51, 9mm Parabellum, 45 ACP (or for that matter any Russian calibers). For me, I gripe about spot shortages of components and prices, but I don’t seem to be having the tragedies others are experiencing. It seems to me that level heads are called for, and we’ll doubtless weather the current political situation well enough. Of course, if I could wave my magic wand, we’d modernize the 1968 Gun Control Act and Herter’s could sell firearms online without the interference of local FFL’s (I am old enough to remember their mail-order business), but we do have to be realistic.
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
The shortage really began when manufacturers had to turn their production to mostly military calibers. If you have one shift and have to turn out 100,000 rounds of 9mm. not much time is left to make .357.
Then Obama got elected. Due to his record on gun control he was perceived as one who would limit our freedoms concerning guns. Although he hasn’t said or done anything untoward, it is still perceived by many, that it will come about. The only way our 2nd amendment can be affected is by limiting the amount of ammunition you can have.
A .45 is a good paperweight without ammo. The ammunition shortage persists because even after putting on a 3rd shift, Remington still cannot make enough ammo to satisfy everyone.
The law of supply and demand is the law of a capitalist economy. The more you have of anything, the cheaper it is. The less you have and the more it is needed the more expensive it is.
Fault or blame is not a good word to use in describing a shortage of any kind. If you must use the word fault, it is the fault of the American public for wanting more ammunition.
First link: The DOD promptly rescinded that order upon complaints from many congressmen who had manufacturers in their district that bought the surplus brass, without which they would have no business.
Second link did not mention any ammunition in connection with the sale of military equipment(although one might think they would need ammo, there are other places to get it).
Third link does not reference ammo shortage.
Fourth link: The sale of ammo to Iraq is water under the bridge(2007) at which time there was no shortage.
Fifth link is the only one actually dealing with a shortage of ammo, and that was a result production going to the war effort and police departments hoarding more rounds in the belief that more would not be available.