Posted on 08/17/2007 11:45:28 AM PDT by Abathar
Troops training for and fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are firing more than 1 billion bullets a year, contributing to ammunition shortages hitting police departments nationwide and preventing some officers from training with the weapons they carry on patrol.
An Associated Press review of dozens of police and sheriff's departments found that many are struggling with delays of as long as a year for both handgun and rifle ammunition. And the shortages are resulting in prices as much as double what departments were paying just a year ago.
"There were warehouses full of it. Now, that isn't the case," said Al Aden, police chief in Pierre, S.D.
Departments in all parts of the country reported delays or reductions in training and, in at least one case, a proposal to use paint-ball guns in firing drills as a way to conserve real ammo.
Forgoing proper, repetitive weapons training comes with a price on the streets, police say, in diminished accuracy, quickness on the draw and basic decision-making skills.
"You are not going to be as sharp or as good, especially if an emergency situation comes up," said Sgt. James MacGillis, range master for the Milwaukee police. "The better-trained officer is the one that is less likely to use force."
The pinch is blamed on a skyrocketing demand for ammunition that followed the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, driven by the training needs of a military at war, and, ironically, police departments raising their own practice regiments following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The increasingly voracious demand for copper and lead overseas, especially in China, has also been a factor.
The military is in no danger of running out because it gets the overwhelming majority of its ammunition from a dedicated plant outside Kansas City. But police are at the mercy of commercial manufacturers.
None of the departments surveyed by the AP said they had pulled guns off the street, and many departments reported no problems buying ammunition. But others told the AP they face higher prices and months-long delays.
In Oklahoma City, for example, officers cannot qualify with AR-15 rifles because the department does not have enough .223-caliber ammunition — a round similar to that fired by the military's M-16 and M4 rifles. Last fall, an ammunition shortage forced the department to cancel qualification courses for several different guns.
"We've got to teach the officers how to use the weapon, and they've got to be able to go to the range and qualify with the weapon and show proficiency," said department spokesman Capt. Steve McCool. "And you can't do that unless you have the rounds."
In Milwaukee, supplies of .40-caliber handgun bullets and .223-caliber rifle rounds have gotten so low the department has repeatedly dipped into its ammunition reserves. Some weapons training has already been cut by 30 percent, and lessons on rifles have been altered to conserve bullets.
Unlike troops in an active war zone, patrol officers rarely fire their weapons in the line of duty. Even then, an officer in a firefight isn't likely to shoot more than a dozen rounds, said Asheville, N.C., police training officer Lt. Gary Gudac. That, he said, makes training with live ammunition for real-life situations — such as a vehicle stop — so essential.
"We spend a lot of money and time making sure the officers are able to shoot a moving target or shoot back into a vehicle," Gudac said. "Any time we have a deadly force encounter, one of the first things we pull is the officer's qualification records."
In Trenton, N.J., a lack of available ammunition led the city to give up plans to convert its force to .45-caliber handguns. Last year, the sheriff's department in Bergen County, N.J., had to borrow 26,000 rounds of .40-caliber ammunition to complete twice-a-year training for officers.
"Now we're planning at least a year and a half, even two years in advance," said Bergen County Detective David Macey, a firearms examiner.
In Phoenix, an order for .38-caliber rounds placed a year ago has yet to arrive, meaning no officer can currently qualify with a .38 Special revolver.
"We got creative in how we do in training," said Sgt. Bret Draughn, who supervises the department's ammunition purchases. "We had to cut out extra practice sessions. We cut back in certain areas so we don't have to cut out mandatory training."
In Wyoming, the state leaned on its ammunition suppler earlier this year so every state trooper could qualify on the standard-issue AR-15 rifle, said Capt. Bill Morse. Rifle rounds scheduled to arrive in January did not show up until May, leading to a rush of troopers trying to qualify by the deadline.
"We didn't (initially) have enough ammunition to qualify everybody in the state," Morse said.
In Indianapolis, police spokesman Lt. Jeff Duhamell said the department has enough ammunition for now, but is considering using paint balls during a two-week training course, during which recruits fire normally fire about 1,000 rounds each.
"It's all based on the demands in Iraq," Duhamell said. "A lot of the companies are trying to keep up with the demands of the war and the demands of training police departments. The price increased too — went up 15 to 20 percent — and they were advising us ... to order as much as you can."
Higher prices are common. In Madison, Wis., police Sgt. Lauri Schwartz said the city spent $40,000 on ammunition in 2004, a figure that rose to $53,000 this year. The department is budgeting for prices 22 percent higher in 2008. In Arkansas, Fort Smith police now pay twice as much as they did last year for 500-round cases of .40-caliber ammunition.
"We really don't have a lot of choices," Cpl. Mikeal Bates said. "In our profession, we have to have it."
The Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Mo., directly supplies the military with more than 80 percent of its small-arms ammunition. Production at the factory has more than tripled since 2002, rising from roughly 425 million rounds that year to 1.4 billion rounds in 2006, according to the Joint Munitions Command at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois.
Most of the rest of the military's small-arms ammunition comes from Falls Church, Va.-based General Dynamics Corp., which relies partly on subcontractors — some of whom also supply police departments. Right now, their priority is filling the military's orders, said Darren Newsom, general manager of The Hunting Shack in Stevensville, Mont., which ships 250,000 rounds a day as it supplies ammunition to 3,000 police departments nationwide.
"There's just a major shortage on ammo in the U.S. right now," he said, pointing to his current backorder for 2.5 million rounds of .223-caliber ammunition. "It's just terrible."
Police say the .223-caliber rifle round is generally the hardest to find. Even though rounds used by the military are not exactly the same as those sold to police, they are made from the same metals and often using the same equipment.
Alliant Techsystems Inc., which runs the Lake City plant for the Army, also produced more than 5 billion rounds for hunting and police use last year, making the Edina, Minn.-based company the country's largest ammunition manufacturer. Spokesman Bryce Hallowell questioned whether the Iraq war had a direct effect on the ammunition available to police, but said there was no doubt that surging demand was affecting supply.
"We had looked at this and didn't know if it was an anomaly or a long-term trend," Hallowell said. "We started running plants 24/7. Now we think it is long-term, so we're going to build more production capability."
That unrelenting demand for ammunition will continue to put a premium on planning ahead, said Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who so far has kept his department from experiencing any shortage-related problems.
"If we have a problem, I'll go make an issue of it — if I have to go to Washington or the military," Arpaio said. "That is a serious thing ... if you don't have the firepower to protect the public and yourself."
;-)
Police could reload brass for practice rounds only...quality control is too important to risk a Policeman’s life
Combat ammunition the same thing...every round must be the Best America can deliver...period...we have so cut back our “MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX” WOW THE EVIL OF SUCH INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE KEPT AMERICA FREE, AND THE MOST FORMIDABLE MILITARY ON THE PLANET!
I paid for dinner that night....
Part of the Clinton plan to affect firearm owners was to kill the ammunition industry.
They started by supressing all military purchases to drive everyone but the biggest producers out of the industry possible.
Then they allowed the import of cheap, foreign surplus ammunition to drive the prices down. Again, this forced domestic makers into bankruptcy.
Now that the military is using a large volume, there are very few remaining domestic suppliers. Those still in operation are stretched to supply both domestic and military needs.
I just ordered several thousand rounds of 9mm and .40 from them, after someone here had a link, and I was extremely satisfied. Prices are good, delivery was lickedy split.
Excellent business.
Thanks, I’ll check ‘em out. I need to stock up on .45ACP, and it’s getting pretty pricey around here.
They have been busy buying donuts, then you come along and shoot holes in their story. LOL
Their brains?.......
I don’t believe there is a “shortage” of ammo. I do believe there is a shortage of “inexpensive” ammo..............
They are buying everything BUT what is needed to perform their job properly....like firearm training, pursuit driving, etc
They need to have a gun "buy-back" if they want to get those guns off the street.
/sarc
Amen to that. I maintain a stockpile of components as well. I fear that the anti-gunners in government are soon going to put pressure on handloaders under the guise of anti-terrorisim. I also expect them to start in on "stockpilers" too.
I'd be willing to contribute ammo to local police for practice, but they wouldn't accept it. I've always been one to be supportive and grateful to LEOs, but I'm becoming fearful that they may become the armed wing of our Marxist party.
Yeah. .45 is getting really expensive to practice with. I don’t reload, so I practice with 9mm, and less often with .40.
I found Rileys has some excellent prices on ball ammo in 9mm, but not sure about .45 ACP.
There is absolutely NO SHORTAGE of said ammunition. I can go out today and buy 100 boxes off the shelf.
What MAY be the problem is that same procurement dept is "negotiating" on the price...and that's not going to drop anytime soon. We are all stocking up.
.40 cal is not a military caliber. They can't blame the war.
Other than kicking down doors and murdering 90 year old women in cold blood, why do the police need .223? The AR-15 and it's variants can easily be fitted with an adapter that will allow target qualification using .22LR ammo. I qualified using this ammo twice when I was active duty.
Amen to that, just picked some .45 ACP at Wally-world for .28c rd. Only good for plinking but with brass at .20c it's good for shoot and reload with good JHP.
Riley’s .45 Auto/FMJ is not that cheap (Blazer Brass, for the most part). I’m still going to Wal-Mart for Winchester 100-rd. boxes, but they’ve been around $29 lately. I’ll try not to think about the price when I’m at the range in ManchVegas tomorrow.
I agree, it works like that for everything else.
They advertise (and they are not the cheapest around) Lake City .223 at a Buyer’s Club price of $7.99 per box of 20. Thats 39.95 cents per round. They have 840 rd cases of XM855 on stripper clips for BC $474.97. Thats 56.54 cents per round.
Wolf ( wouldn’t shoot a pit bull with that) at $4.51 per box of 20. Thats 22.55 cents per round.
Maybe some police departments need to look elsewhere for ammo.
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