NSSF warns of threat to ammunition availability, calls for action

[huntsman]

So you think the ammo situation is improving.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has notified members that, as demand for ammunition continues to outpace supply, "it is critically important that an amendment authored by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) to a seemingly obscure hazardous material bill (HR 4016) be attached to the legislation during consideration on the House floor."

The NSSF notes that the amendment being pushed by Graves will help protect the shipment of materials necessary for the manufacturing of ammunition, and warns that without the Graves Amendment, the rate of production will slip, perhaps precipitously.

In turn, decreased production of ammunition will lead to decreased availability. This will lead to an increase in ammunition prices directly affecting consumers.

Floor action on the bill is anticipated within the next three weeks. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, intends to bring HR 4016 to the floor prior to the end of the session.

NSSF is encouraging all hunters and sportsmen to contact Rep. Oberstar and urge him to support the Graves Amendment. He can be reached at 202-225-6211.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7018

 

[holycrikey]

Ugh, I feel you.

I just tried about five different Wal-Marts and Bass Pro Shops. They have NO pistol calibers, besides the crazy +P/JHP stuff. No decent range ammo. Nada.

Even midwayusa is backordered out the yazoo. Just insanity.

Seriously, I am mad at absolutely any single gun owner that has hoarded ammo out there. I know plenty of them exist. These people are hurting us all by unnecessarily hoarding this stuff.

Sheesh, I just want to do some practice shooting.

 

[9MMare]

I'm curious....How much is considered hoarding?

I also do the trooping to multiple Walmarts (actually, I just call now) and searching out deals....but the very difficulty I have finding 9mm encourages me to buy as much as I can find when I find it.

I try to shoot weekly and go thru ammo. And I do want to keep some on hand in case of a shortage.

So how much is hoarding?

 

[Erik M]

Try Natchez Shooter Supply or Ammo Man.

 

[SaMx]

I couldn't find anything at the NSSF site
full text of the bill is here
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-4016
including this part

‘(2) FIREARMS- This chapter and regulations prescribed under this chapter do not prohibit--
‘(A) or regulate transportation of a firearm (as defined in section 232 of title 18), or ammunition for a firearm, by an individual for personal use; or
‘(B) transportation of a firearm or ammunition in commerce.

 

[MAKster]

The craziness of buying ammo is basically over except for the places like Wal-mart which sells at the lowest price, and now NSSF is leading the charge to prevent ammo shortages. I was at Dicks this weekend and they had plenty of everything. A cynical person might think this has more to do with saving the profits of the firearms companies that boosted production during the peek and are now facing a glut and falling prices. Maybe the AR sellers who have seen prices drop 25 percent in the past few months should get in on this.

 

[Bovice]

you only whine about hoarding because you dont have any!

there's absolutely nothing wrong with buying up ammo. you'll use it sooner or later, whether you buy it all now or in smaller installations.

That bill sounds suspicious IMO, and I think you should try to read it in its entirety before trying to garner support. When you say "protect" shipments of supplies for ammunition manufacturing, that could go both ways. It could be written to impose limits on supplies given to manufacturers for the civilian market. I'd rather keep the federal government OUT of that as much as possible.

 

[Grassman]

What amount would be considered hoarding? If you can buy it. buy it. The market should correct this but your gubmit won't let it. Don't hate player hate the game.

 

[happygeek]

Yeah, how much is hoarding? The store that I frequent sells ammo in cases of 500 or 1,000. They sold me a case of 5,000 rounds of 22LR after me and the wife got a tacticool 22LR. Am I hoarding because I buy cases of 200 rounds of surplus 7.62 NATO from the store instead of buying individual boxes of 20 rounds?

 

[EddieNFL]

So how much is hoarding?

When you have more than me.

 

[happygeek]

When you have more than me.

You need to start buying in bulk then. It's cheaper that way.

 

[wishin]

Just got my new Cheaper Than Dirt 1/10 catalog. Some good ammo prices, not all. You gotta shop these days.

 

[EddieNFL]

You need to start buying in bulk then. It's cheaper that way.

I buy components in bulk. Does that count?

 

[happygeek]

Sure. I've got to get a house and learn to reload. As it is I just save my brass and sell it back to the store for a small amount of cash.

 

[oneounceload]

Too many yahoos buying a 7 times lifetime supply when they used to buy a month's worth at a time has more to do with this issue than anything else...and when production catches up, they will be sitting on supplies worth half what they paid....I can't wait - I hope everyone who fed into, and therefore created, this BS shortage gets caught in the financial bind they created

what a joke

 

[RoostRider]

This whole 'hoarding' issue is getting plenty played out.

Merriam Webster defines hoard as: a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away.

Under that definition, I hoard a lot of things, not the least of which being ammo.

While 'hidden away' lacks clear definition, I certainly don't leave my ammo out in the open, and it is always locked away....

I don't have an exorbitant amount of prepared ammo around (probably ~2k all combined), but I reload and have LOTS of components around..... more than I will likely use in 5 years in fact.... for sure more than I used the last 5 years... and I shoot a fair amount too (not as much as I probably should)... but see, I bought my supplies whenever the price and my pocketbook could agree... at one point 15 years ago I was sitting on 15 years worth of components... now I'm down to 5... am I hoarding? was I hoarding then? even though there was no shortage? in fact an abundance (hence the price vs. pocketbook thing)...

If you are willing to pay enough you can get ammo now.... do the price and your pocketbook agree? Yes? done deal, buy it.... No? go find something else to do.... that's what I did when it cost me too much too shoot as much as I wanted to... that's what I still do when I can't afford whatever it is I want...

Everyone points out that "the good stuff" is still available almost everywhere.... so don't sell me the line that you can't get what you 'need' (then I would agree with you)... this is an issue with 'wants'.... you don't get what you want, and you whine about those that have it.... pretty common human characteristic really.... I'd might be whining too... if not for the aforementioned....

And no, I don't buy that if you can't shoot 100 rounds a month you don't have what you "need". When you are not getting what you need, you either seize it however necessary, or suffer and or die. None of that is happening to you....

Someday the sucker who bought 5 lifetimes worth of ammo will die leaving 4 lifetimes worth of ammo behind.... guess who will be there at the estate sale checking to see if the price and his pocketbook agree?..... that's how I got my abundance of reloading supplies... everyone was happy....

 

[jnyork]

When does "prudence and foresight" end and "hoarding" begin?

 

[wgaynor]

I went to two gunshops and wally world yesterday. All were fully stocked. While some places may still be seeing shortages, this part of Kentucky isn't. The only thing I had trouble finding was Unique powder.

 

[Bailey Guns]

Seriously, I am mad at absolutely any single gun owner that has hoarded ammo out there. I know plenty of them exist. These people are hurting us all by unnecessarily hoarding this stuff.

Be mad all you want. Meanwhile, lots of us "hoarders" will be out shooting because we took the initiative and prepared for shortages. What makes you the judge of what constitutes "hoarding" and "unnecessary"?

 

[Brian Dale]

Things have been getting better in my neck of the woods for a few months now. I admit that I got the last two boxes of .35 Rem on the shelf (Remington Core-Lokt) when I visited my local store just before deer season, and they were out of the kind that I'd wanted to use this year (Hornady). Meh...they run out of popular deer cartridges every deer season. Supplies of the other calibers that I follow are coming back up.

Remember, too, that some of the ammo that isn't on the shelf has been bought by the many people who've bought new guns--for some, their first guns--during the past year. More gun owners = a good thing.

 

[Boba Fett]

Seriously, I am mad at absolutely any single gun owner that has hoarded ammo out there. I know plenty of them exist. These people are hurting us all by unnecessarily hoarding this stuff.

Yeah! I'm with you. Your irrational "I deserve it more than you" mentality has won me over. I think we should call for a redistribution of ammo!

ROFL. Nah, I'm too much an American and a capitalist to ever whine about something like this. Same goes for when AR-15 were so high priced (thank God I had mine before then...would have sucked to pay $500 more than the "normal" price) and PMAGs were super expensive and impossible to find.

But instead of complaining and cursing those were buying them up PMAGs, I did the capitalist thing. I researched places that were selling them, I put an order in with a place that had an early delivery of backordered PMAGs, and about a month later I had 500 of them. I sold the majority of them on GunBroker.com. I sold them fast by undercutting the going price on Gunbroker. That sale paid for the PMAGs I kept and netted me a small profit.

I then used said profit to buy more ammo. And I'm still buying ammo. Anytime there is a good sale, or Walmart has some (rarely though it may be), or I find it online for a good price, I pick up a few thousand rounds, dump them into an ammo can, buy another ammo can, and look for more ammo to fill it with.

So, am I hoarding ammo? Yup. I shoot a bunch also. But just in case the SHTF or the aristocracy does something stupid, I'll have a nice supply for me, my family, and my friends.


One thing the "ammo shortage" has done for me is push me into reloading. Always wanted to and now I am. Keep most of the stuff I buy in the ammo cans, shoot my reloads, cycle through some of the ammo can ammo from time to time just to keep it fresher.



So stop hating on capitalism, embrace your inner American, and hoard a little ammo for yourself today

 

[War Squirrel]

So stop hating on capitalism, embrace your inner American, and hoard a little for yourself.

Well said.

 

[Texas Gun Person]

Nearest Cabelas had plenty of everything.

Local Walmart didn't have any large rifle. (After I bought the last box of .308) and was also out of most pistol.

 

[armoredman]

I am not hoarding, I am merely readjusting my current supply to meet future needs, both known and anticipated.
I write government reports...can you tell?

 

[againstthagrane]

hoarders are creating an artificial shortage, just like they did with AR's 9 months ago. they suck and we hate them.