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COVID-19, politics to blame for ammunition shortage that could last two years, local experts say
SPOKANE, Wash. â While last yearâs toilet paper panic during the grip of the pandemic was disturbing, at least it was brief. Meanwhile, a nationwide ammunition shortage continues to impact shooting facilities, hunting trips and even law enforcement agencies â with no end in sight.
Shooting industry insiders say a combination of fear stemming from social unrest, COVID-related manufacturing restrictions and political shifts had contributed to the ammunition shelves in sporting goods stores being mostly bare.
Dedicated shooters appear to be perpetuating the problem as they snap up and hoard nearly any handgun, rifle and shotgun ammo that becomes available.
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Source: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
For some parts of the United States, there was panic over gasoline recently. The Colonial Pipeline was shut down by hackers. The 5,500-mile network supplies 45 percent of the fuel to the eastern United States. Luckily, operations were restored within a few days, but there were gas lines and gas stations had closed since they had no gas to sell. The panic was spreading, but only for a short while. If you like to shoot, I’m sure you’ve seen the drought in ammunition. Unlike gas, there is no pipeline of readily available ammunition that can be delivered everywhere. It’s all up to manufacturers, demand, and other market forces that have impacted the flow of bullets. Stores are depleted. Gun ranges near me are fresh out of ammunition. The only people who can shoot are those who already had stocked up prior to and around the pandemic. And it’s going to take years for some calibers to be readily available again.
May 21, 2021
If you’ve tried to buy ammo over the last year, you’ve notice that a lot of shop are struggling to keep up with demand. Many places have impose limits.
Stephen Gutowski reports that these manufacturers are still working through “several years’ worth of orders that have already been placed.”
“On certain products, we are certainly seeing backlogs that stretch out two years and beyond,” Brett Flaugher, president of Winchester Ammunition, told
The Reload. “For those who shoot 9mm and 5.56 ammunition, which are both in high demand, it’s very uncertain how long it will be before people will consistently have ammunition readily available.”