Where Have All the Bullets Gone? Stockpiled for Another Fort Sumter?
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Where Have All the Bullets Gone?
The last time we had a bullet shortage in the United States was during the Civil War, or perhaps the American Revolution.
Another Fort Sumter and regional warfare is actually being talked about seriously by pundits on such supposedly reasonable sources as Salon.com, a leading Internet opinion blog.
A race to stock up on ammunition is causing a bullet shortage, news agencies around the country and in Michigan report.
Some say the dearth of bullets started with the election of President Barack Obama. Others say it's about the economic downturn or fear of crime. Whatever the reasons, ammunition has been selling like plywood and bottled water in the days before a hurricane, an Orlando, Florida news source stated.
American gun owners buy about 7 billion rounds of ammunition yearly, according to the National Rifle Association. It has been warning its several million members that Obama favors raising taxes on bullets to make them prohibitively expensive.
Gun sales began to rise a year ago when Obama was leading the election race continued to rise after he took office in January. The FBI reported that 6.1 million background checks for gun sales were issued from January to May, a hike of 25.6 percent from the same period the year before.
However, some commentators point out there is no gun control legislation pending and Obama recently signed legislation allowing guns in national parks. The president has given no indication he favors any increased gun controls.
Just recently, however, bullets have become available on the Internet and stores are beginning to restock ammo supplies.
"We've had a serious problem in locating 223-caliber ammunition," according to Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski.
The shortage may be the result of two wars and increased popularity of patrol rifles in law enforcement agencies.
The shortage has also doubled or tripled ammo prices and hurt police budgets. In addition to police weapons, there is also a shortage in bullets for personal ammo in handguns.
"Demand for ammo has never been better. We're selling ammo like we've never sold before. We can't even get it now. Most of our purchase orders are probably 3-4 months out now," said Kevin Charron, of Jay's Sporting Goods in Clare.
Charron said just in the past week he's received calls for ammo from California, Idaho and Colorado.
Doug Vance, of Vances Shooter Supply, Columbus, Ohio, said that federal agencies and the military are using lots of bullets and many people are stocking up because they fear that the present federal administration will put a higher tax on bullets or reinstate the assault weapons ban.
Mr. Vance apparently has no credible evidence to back up his claim that federal agencies are using lots of bullets, but of course the military is shooting up the landscapes in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Vance said he's had to put limits on how many boxes of ammunition customers can buy. Vance said he anticipates the bullet shortage to last throughout the year.
Most in demand is handgun ammunition, including 9 mm and .45-caliber for semiautomatic pistols and .38-caliber for revolvers. Florida Walmart stores, including Apopka and Kissimmee, say most handgun bullets are on back order at the chain's warehouses.
"Anecdotal evidence certainly suggests that the demand for ammunition is continuing to increase, and that is certainly attributable to gun owners' concerns with the current administration," said Ted Novin, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association representing 4,700 members.
The scarcity of bullets added even more concern about widely publicized sales of assault rifles.
Deep trends of anticipated violence appear to be surfacing, motivated in large part by volatile comments from radio talk show hosts. If the hatreds that are arising are translated to actual gun violence, God help this nation. Rational thinking, and talk, are needed now more than ever. ###
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