America's Firearm and Ammo Supply Chain Safe?

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I KNEW there was a reason I brought 1k of .223 two weeks ago. Nothing like being able to foresee the future.

But now I am worried about the boxes being contaminated with the Coron 19 bacteria before they were shipped to me. When I handled the boxes and load my magazines am I exposing myself and folks at the range to it when i shoot? How long can the virus live? Can I kill it by wrapping my ammo in plastic and suffocate it? Maybe the virus came from outer space and can live for a long time without oxygen. Should I spend endless hours wiping the ammo boxes and individual cartridges with disinfectant wipes?
 
I don't have a crap ton of ammo on hand but I don't shoot as much as many. I'm tempted to pick up some .223 just to have more on hand, but I don't want to contribute to the panic as I have enough the last me more than a year with how often (or not) I get to shoot.

It just annoys me to see ammo selling out online. There really is no reason for it, I wonder if a decent chunk is non-shooters panicking and getting guns and ammo now. But like Agent K wisely said in Men in Black, " A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."
 
We’ve talked about this many times on this site. Hopefully, everyone followed the repeated recommendations and is sitting on a substantial stock of previously acquired ammo and reloading supplies.
 
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First, they horded the TP, I said nothing
Then they came after the Kleenex. Againe, I said nothing
Then came for the paper towels which didn't apply to me so, I said nothing
Readers digest...Guns&Ammo magazine...NRA Hunter...then...

...no one could bring me anything, when I yelled out from the bathroom...


Oh...the horror...
Time to start asking for change to that $20 bill. lol
 
First, they horded the TP, I said nothing
Then they came after the Kleenex. Againe, I said nothing
Then came for the paper towels which didn't apply to me so, I said nothing
Readers digest...Guns&Ammo magazine...NRA Hunter...then...

...no one could bring me anything, when I yelled out from the bathroom...


Oh...the horror...
I have more than enough old gunmags in the basement for a very long siege.
 
Time to start asking for change to that $20 bill. lol
Um, yeah currency was found to be a spreader of disease in wuhan so they pulled the currency and allegedly sterilized it etc. before returning it to circulation. There was a brief shortage of currency there in a panic.
 
I was sick about a month ago. It wasn’t a cold and didn’t feel like the normal flu. I think it was a very good chance it was the Coron19. I did not go to the Doctor and treated myself with over the counter meds. I have also had a Flu shot in October (which I don’t believe in but I am required to get every year). The City of Wichita and Sedgwick County banned public gatherings of more than 250 people forcing a Gun Show and St. Paddys Day Parade to be cancelled. I assume this also applies to Churches. This could force all Spring and maybe Summer Gun Shows to be banned.

Meanwhile the bars are full and the booze is flowing.

As Forrest Gump said: I am sorry I broke up your Coronavirus 19 party.
You'll be glad to know that heavy drinking apparently helps in throwing it off according to one un peer reviewed Chinese study. So at least there is that.
 
I KNEW there was a reason I brought 1k of .223 two weeks ago. Nothing like being able to foresee the future.

But now I am worried about the boxes being contaminated with the Coron 19 bacteria before they were shipped to me. When I handled the boxes and load my magazines am I exposing myself and folks at the range to it when i shoot? How long can the virus live? Can I kill it by wrapping my ammo in plastic and suffocate it? Maybe the virus came from outer space and can live for a long time without oxygen. Should I spend endless hours wiping the ammo boxes and individual cartridges with disinfectant wipes?

Someone is going to write a thesis someday on the community transfer mechanism of this virus. We simply do not know enough and we are trying by analogy to other viruses to figure it out. Estimates are about 2-7 days on average depending on the surface of the matter at the microscopic level under controlled conditions. Wash your hands after getting packages just as you should when shaking hands now.

There is some indication that you can get reinfected or have a relapse with the stuff and there are also multiple strains out there because it is mutating. Antibodies to one strain might not totally protect from another just like the flu.

Sunlight is a good disinfectant, viruses hate uv light. Heat and humidity can affect their lifespan while they last longer in cold storage. The length of time viruses stay on exposed surfaces varies, wood and cloth are shorter than metal etc. Basically, rough surfaces at the microscopic level cause problems for viral integrity.

The other useful one is good old soap and water which is better than alcohol but you really can't drink that.
 
I thought it was funny when I stopped to get some milk in town today, I would have thought it was a diarrhea virus they had or were expecting.

No kidding, grown adults buying 100’s of rolls of toilet paper. Made me raw thinking about it, at least in relation to my bottom. :)

The actor Tom Hanks, (and wife) has it and he said “no crying in baseball”, he should have said “stupid is as stupid does” as a better character alignment, with the folks one might come across.

I would have no doubt that if an asteroid was going to hit the earth in a given time, that a lot of people would clean out the toilet paper aisle. Some of those adults buying a bunch are probably figuring it is like the .22 LR shortage caused by people buying the stuff to resell for a profit.
 
Yeah, but the plane ride and airport kills you.

This is a diversion but we cannot fight a war anymore that lasts more than a few days against a near peer adversary. I was watching a show about Pearl Harbor and how Yamamoto thought fighting us was stupid given our industrial capacity. Churchill after Pearl Harbor thought the war was won given our industrial capacity.

That no longer exists. We cannot produce ships, planes, medical supplies, electronics, etc. in any sufficient numbers.

Maybe that's a good thing and as Jeff says (I hope I don't misinterpret him) no more wars to save the world unless it has a existential component to us. If the Philippines have to be a vassal of China - do we care? Those carriers sailing around off China and in the Pacific are being more and more a burdern as compared to a threat to them. We couldn't replace them if we tried in anything like real time.

Back to ammo - there was quite a bit of FMJ around here. So do we change our mantra of no FMJ or is it ok to use in in the Apocalypse? Will it hurt you in court - oh, wait, no courts - catch the virus.

Well, economics is always pessimistic in the short run but in the long run, global supply chains are going to be scrutinized as they should be for production of strategic goods. To his credit, Trump recognizes that more than any president back to Nixon.

Nixon and later Republicans and then Democrats after Clinton, went away from domestic production as a way of solidifying alliances in the Cold War. You see echoes of that in the Marshall plan and trade agreements such as GATT but buy American was still the mantra until about the time of the Vietnam war. I remember the huge shock when the US realized that we made a crappier small car than the Euros and Japanese during the first great Oil Shock.

The Dems favored America First because of trade unions and the Repubs. did for national security. After the Cold War ended, the New World Order was constituted and built up bipartisan barriers to ending cozy economic quid pro quo arrangements which deteriorated into basically campaign cash for production secrets and trade advantages. Foreign companies and individuals basically bribed their way into access to the US market. Before Clinton greased the way for permanent MFN for China along with a Republican controlled Congress in 1998 (formal decision was in 2000) a shower of soft money cash came from the Chinese and others to get that trade act passed.

This was sold as making the US more wealthy and powerful when in fact they made a lot of people wealthy but at the price of American power and the folks relying on domestic production jobs.
 
Last night at Walmart a guy bought a ton of 30/06 and 30-30 and then asks for 7.62 and says he can’t shoot it cause it’s full metal jacket. These are the people that are buying everything. On a state hunting Facebook page guys are saying they have ammo and will take your TP. One guy said he doesn’t need anything but 22lr to shoot someone in the head if they try and take his supplies. This is what this has come to now! I’m working at a small grocery store right now and the people haven’t stopped coming in. Most is for paper towels and TP. Actually had fist fights at Walmart last night over stuff. Meanwhile I watched a woman snatch a case of spaghetti from a worker and cases of canned goods off pallets. I then watched an 80yo man in his power chair circle the aisles at Walmart looking for food. Bet your ass I see an elderly person who needs something and I’ll take it right out of someone else cart. Come Fight my 6ft6 300lbs but over some food! I literally hate humanity. Everyone sucks!
 
Last night at Walmart a guy bought a ton of 30/06 and 30-30 and then asks for 7.62 and says he can’t shoot it cause it’s full metal jacket. These are the people that are buying everything. On a state hunting Facebook page guys are saying they have ammo and will take your TP. One guy said he doesn’t need anything but 22lr to shoot someone in the head if they try and take his supplies. This is what this has come to now! I’m working at a small grocery store right now and the people haven’t stopped coming in. Most is for paper towels and TP. Actually had fist fights at Walmart last night over stuff. Meanwhile I watched a woman snatch a case of spaghetti from a worker and cases of canned goods off pallets. I then watched an 80yo man in his power chair circle the aisles at Walmart looking for food. Bet your ass I see an elderly person who needs something and I’ll take it right out of someone else cart. Come Fight my 6ft6 300lbs but over some food! I literally hate humanity. Everyone sucks!

During crises, people either panic and think only of themselves and theirs or they try to help others. Before fighting for it, shame them in front of everyone--sharing in this situation is caring. Apparently some local social media groups are trying to ensure that the shutins get enough to eat too. A fair number of them might be living on the edge, alone in the world, and can use a hand.
 
Called a friend yesterday to check on how they were doing. (Their wife works at a hospital in Topeka so...).
Anyway, they are fine but their Dad has just been diagnosed with cancer.
It's always something... :(
 
During crises, people either panic and think only of themselves and theirs or they try to help others. Before fighting for it, shame them in front of everyone--sharing in this situation is caring. Apparently some local social media groups are trying to ensure that the shutins get enough to eat too. A fair number of them might be living on the edge, alone in the world, and can use a hand.
I yelled out it’s people like you is why we have no food. Who needs 20 boxes of spaghetti noodles and a cart full off canned goods? I’m working retail armed security at a grocery store tonight and they limited water and TP to one per person. All they do is come back 30-40min later and buy more. Lots of people throwing a fit about one case of water per person. It’s like everyone thinks the water is infected. I agree with you about shaming them. It really pisses me off. My mother lives on a fixed income and can’t stock up so I just put a ton of stuff on credit to ensure she has TP and goods at least what I could find.
 
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I yelled out it’s people like you is why we have no food. Who needs 20 boxes of spaghetti noodles and a cart full off canned goods? I’m working retail armed security tonight and they limited water and TP to one per person. All they do is come back 30-40min later and buy more. Lots of people throwing a fit about one case of water per person. It’s like everyone thinks the water is infected. I agree with you about shaming them. It really pisses me off. My mother lives on a fixed income and can’t stock up so I just put a ton of stuff on credit to ensure she has TP and goods at least what I could find.
Your a good son and your mother is a lucky woman to have you. Stay safe in your gig.
 
LGS sold 80 guns today and not a stich of ammo.

People are showing there unpreparedness everywhere. I’m glad the LGS is making money but everybody should have had the guns they needed. I can understand people like members here getting that Glock they’ve been eyeing but I have a feeling there were more desperate and unprepared people were panic buying.

I hope this blows over in a month but if it turns into a long winter, there are more important things to buy than another gun. (assuming you already have a couple)
 
Not sure if anyone noticed, but I didn't log on during business hours today. Why?

We were busy busy busy. I sold more guns and ammo today than we do in an average week. Customers told me of numbers given out at Bass Pro like at a deli counter and the customer got a number 30+ digits away from who they were waiting on.

Usually our ammo sales are a box or two to folks going to the range. Today folks were stocking up! Stacks of boxes to every buyer.

One customer wanted to know if he could use 10mm in his 9mm gun as it was "only one bigger".

FDLE background checks were running 2 hours+.

People are crazy.
 
Um. Acquainted with making due from deployments. Shotgun news though has only a few slick pages.
While I've never been deployed, exactly, beyond being in the field for a week or two (we weren't deploying in '77-'80) I've lived in Fla since the mid 70's and have sat through quite a few hurricanes. We do the usual, water in case of interrupted service, batteries for the same reason, food that doesn't need refrigeration, etc. Logical stuff.

What in the wildest imagination of some drug crazed nutjob suggests we're going to run out of toilet paper?

You get the flu you cough, your nose runs a bit, you feel like crap. You don't get explosive, uncontrolled diarrhea. It's not dysentery.
 
Now that's a well balanced view of society.
I think that it would be best if , as a group here on THR , we were to keep our wits about us.
Just telling the truth. When you see an elderly man riding around Walmart staring at empty shelves and a woman 40yo literally starts opening boxes on a pallet and takes a 2ftx2ft box of spaghetti noodles and cases of Vegetables and makes a mad dash for the register while almost running people over then yeah, humanity sucks. One cart at Walmart had about 10 jugs of Lysol wipes in it. Hell washing every day it would take me 3 months to get through all those wipes. My gf did right today. Last 3 loafs of bread on the shelf and o needed one for my mom and she needed one. She didn’t take 3. She said I left one for someone who actually needs it.
 
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