Ammunition shelves bare as U.S. gun sales continue to soar | News

SEATTLE – The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with record firearm sales, has resulted in a shortage of ammunition in the United States that is affecting law enforcement, individuals in need of personal protection, recreational shooters and hunters – and could deny the practice to new gun owners who they must practice safely handling their weapons.

Manufacturers say they make as much ammunition as possible, but many shelves in gun stores are empty and prices keep rising. Ammunition imports are increasing, but at least one US manufacturer exports ammunition. While the pandemic, social unrest and a surge in violent crime have led millions to buy guns for protection or to shoot for sport.

“We have had a number of firearms instructors who canceled their registration for our courses because their agency was short of ammunition or couldn’t find ammunition to buy,” said Jason Wuestenberg, executive director of the National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association.

Doug Tangen, a firearms instructor with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, the state’s police academy, said the academy had also struggled to obtain ammunition.

“A few months ago we were at a point where our shelves were almost empty of 9mm ammunition,” he said. In response, the instructors took conservation measures like reducing the number of shots fired per drill bit, which allowed them to last several months before new supplies arrived, Tangen said.

Officer Larry Hadfield, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said his department was also affected by the shortage. “We have made efforts to save ammunition when possible,” he said.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group, says more than 50 million people participate in the shooting sport in the United States and estimates that 20 million guns were sold last year, including 8 million from first-time buyers.

“When you talk about all these people who buy guns, it really has an impact on the people who buy ammunition,” said spokesman Mark Oliva. “If you look at 8.4 million gun buyers and they all want to buy a case with 50 rounds, that’s 420 million rounds.”

The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System database also documented an increase in sales: in 2010 there were 14.4 million background checks for gun purchases. This rose to almost 39.7 million in 2020 and to 22.2 million by June 2021 alone.

The actual number of guns sold could be much higher as multiple firearms can be linked to a single background check. No data is available for ammunition as sales are not regulated and no license is required for sales.

As the pandemic raced through the country in early 2020, the resulting lockdown orders and cuts in police response fueled security fears and created “overwhelming demand” for both weapons and ammunition, Oliva said. Factories continued to make ammunition, but sales far exceeded what could be shipped, he said.

“Where there is an increased sense of instability, fear and insecurity, more people will buy weapons,” said Ari Freilich of the Gifford Law Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence.

As supplies ran out, some gun owners began to stockpile ammunition, Feilich said.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, we saw people hoarding toilet paper and disinfectant, and now it’s ammunition,” he said.

Wüstenberg emphasized the danger that first-time buyers of weapons cannot practice using their new weapons.

Going to the shooting range means more than just hitting a target, he said. Here, shooters learn basic skills, such as always pointing their weapons in a safe direction and keeping their fingers off the trigger until they are ready to fire.

“It’s an old saying: Just because you buy a guitar doesn’t mean you’re a guitarist,” said Wüstenberg. “Some have the misconception, ‘I shot this target from 5 meters away and it went well, so I’m fine if someone breaks into my house.’ You have to go out and practice with it. “

The US military is unaffected by the shortage, as the army produces ammunition for all branches of the military at six locations across the country, said Justine Barati, spokeswoman for the US Army Joint Munitions Command.

The U.S. shooting team, which won four medals in the Tokyo Olympics, also had the ammunition it needed for training thanks to commitment from sponsors, but membership and junior programs have struggled, said Matt Suggs, CEO of USA Shooting .

The US biathlon team, which is training for the 2022 Winter Olympics in February, will also be supplied with ammunition from Finland by its sponsor Lapua. However, local clubs are faced with bottlenecks, said Max Cobb, President of the US Biathlon Association.

Jason Vanderbrink, a vice president at Vista Outdoor, which owns ammunition brands Federal, CCI, Speer and Remington, said the companies would ship ammunition as soon as possible.

“I’m tired of reading the misinformation on the internet right now that we’re not trying to meet the demand we’re experiencing,” he said in a YouTube video produced for customers to quell speculation suggest something else.

Ammunition imports from Russia, South Korea, the European Union and other countries rose 225 percent in the past two years, according to an analysis by Panjiva Inc., which independently tracks world trade. But at least some of the ammunition made in the US goes out of the country.

According to Panjiva, Winchester has logged 107 broadcasts since January 2020. Most went to Australia to fulfill a contract Winchester had signed with NIOA, the country’s largest arms supplier. Nigel Everingham, NIOA’s chief operating officer, said he could not disclose how much ammunition Winchester is supplying.

Some shipments also went to Belgium and Israel.

Meanwhile, most ammunition pictured on the website of Champion’s Choice, a gun store in LaVergne, Tennessee, is listed as “Out of Stock”.

“We keep ammunition to order, but we’re not sure when it will be available,” said sales manager Kyle Hudgens. “That puts us in a bad position with our customers. You ask what the deal is. “

And Bryan Lookabaugh of Renton Fish & Game’s Skeet and Trap Range in Renton, Washington – where shooters try to hit targets that are flying at 35 to 70 mph – said the limited availability means fewer people show up for shooting practice and some cannot enter a new competition.

“We haven’t had a full shipment in a year,” he said.

Duane Hendrix, range master at the Seattle Police Athletic Association, a police and civilian shooting range in Tukwila, Wash., Said he is now limiting ammunition sales to two boxes per customer.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Hendrix. “There are things we can’t get, especially rifle ammunition. If you don’t have ammunition for your customers, there is no point in keeping your doors open. “