More stockpiling ammunition: Fear of potential Obama laws causing mass sales

missouliandotcom ^ | May 20, 2009 | By PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic

[smokingfrog]

Every day, Darren Newsom's three Bitterroot Valley Ammunition facilities crank out 300,000 rounds of ammunition.

It's not nearly enough.

“I'm going about 100,000 rounds in the wrong direction every day,” Newsom said. “We probably have about six months of back orders right now.”

Newsom has been in the ammunition manufacturing business for more than 20 years and he's never seen demand this high.

Fearful of the Obama administration's potential to tighten gun control laws, people from all over the country are stocking up on guns and ammunition.

“I went through the Clinton years and there was a bit of a scare then,” Newsom said. “This is like the Clinton years on steroids. � On the day of the election, our phones started going nuts. It hasn't stopped since.”

As a master distributor for ATK - the world's largest ammunition business - Bitterroot Valley Ammunition supplies other ammunition manufacturers around the country with the components needed to make bullets.

“I get a million primers in every other day and most are shipped out the very next day,” he said. “I have 100 million primers on back order right now. We just can't get enough of them.”

At a recent gun show in Salt Lake City, Newsom sold somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 rounds in the first two hours.

“It's just unreal,” he said. “Somewhere in lots of basements around the country, there are millions of rounds of ammunition being stored.”

Local businesses have felt the ammunition shortage.

At Bob Ward's in Hamilton, Mike Matteson said there has been quite a run on ammunition and reloading supplies like bullets and powder since the election.

“We are especially low right now with pistol ammunition,” Matteson said. “There are four or five calibers that we don't even have on our shelves.”

[rlmorel]

A great book, one of the best. I bought three copies, one I gave as a present, one for myself and one as a loaner.

Of course, I loaned my copy too.

[myself6]

Are we positive that the ammunition is going to “Our” side???

Are assumptions being made based?

Is it possible that this never before seen demand on ammunition is going to the “civilian security force” or something similar?

Honestly, I know a lot of hunters and gun enthusiasts. None of them are buying ammunition in the quantities speculated about.

I think this needs to be looked at a little closer. Maybe its nothing, but maybe there is something there.

[Travis McGee]

It looks just like the gun at #20, but with brown and gold vertical stripes on the grip.

[myself6]

“Are assumptions being made based?”

blah...

should have been “Are assumptions being made?”

[Grampa Dave]

“Don’t know if it’s the same there, but here in Albuquerque the shelves are bare. Almost no ammo anywhere. Scary stuff. Can’t even get powder for reloading shotgun shells.
“

Our local Walmart has shelves loaded with regular hunting shot gun shells.

Their locked case for what would be classified as large game ammo and home/shelf protection ammo has a few more stockings since the November election.

They have a posting on the glass doors which looks like it is from their home office stating: “A limit of 6 boxes of shells per customer per day!”.

[Buffalo Head]

"I'm certainly doing my part."

Please explain exactly what you are doing, other than:

1. Buying more than you need.

2. Preventing others from buying what they might actually need.

3. Creating an unnatural and unnecessary shortages.

4. Driving up the price of the commodities you are hoarding.

Do you have any concept of the following?

a) The amount of ammunition issued to a combat soldier?

b) The number of rounds expended per soldier in the average firefight?

c) The number of rounds expended in the average civilian gun fight?

d) How long a barricaded gunman survives in his bunker against heavier weaponry?

[mrmeyer]

Here in NJ, can’t find any 9mm, .38, .357, .45, .22lr, 12g slugs/00 buck, 5.56, 7.62 anything, etc. When visiting family a few months ago in PA, a local store had about 40 cases of Winchester .223 non-milspec. I went back there three weeks ago and all that was left was 1 box of Winchester 5.56.

[mrmeyer]

Exactly. After the November election, 3 friends of mine that are pro 2nd Amendment but do not own firearms have asked me individually for my advice because they wanted to buy a gun, specifically a handgun. I explained the differences between semi's vs. wheel guns, caliber, shot placement, and stress above all they get what fits THEIR hand the best. Then I told them to consider getting a good 12 gauge and a reliable rifle as well.

[Sundog]

This Sig Sauer 556 is the second line of defense. I've got the Trijicon scope, Aixiz green laser, and quite a few 30 round magpul magazines at the ready. I like the Sig because the stock swings out of the way and you can hold it down and forward. During a winter snow storm, the green laser shines out for a mile and all the snowflakes twinkle.

You see, I want to be nice to whomever first.

Oh, and all the ladies of the house each have their 357 magnums too. And they each have crimson trace handles.

[mrmeyer]

Ditto. I have a CZ P-01 and it’s the bees knees.

[Kozak]

the green laser shines out for a mile and all the snowflakes twinkle.
You see, I want to be nice to whomever first.

I'm a fan of laser sights too, just remember, laser like tracer points both ways...

[Armedanddangerous]

right beside me brother..Im not usually far from sufficient stockpiles.

[Armedanddangerous]

right beside me brother..Im not usually far from sufficient stockpiles.

[Sundog]

The Trijicon scope is the tool there; That tritium in the sight keeps a bright red chevron right over the target even when light is down to the color of twilight in the bowels of a hippopotamus.

[DuncanWaring]

Like this?

[Doomonyou]

...the green laser shines out for a mile and all the snowflakes twinkle.

Don't forget, lasers work both ways! ; )

[dsutah]

There was a book out in our local library a few years ago about The Marquis of Lafayette. It was a story about his life, basically. There was a passage in there where he supposedly said, paraphrase, “That there is a horse who every day was whipped by his cruel master. Finally, the horse throws the master off his back to the ground, and won’t let him back on.” Then he said: “THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE THAT HORSE!”.

I once thought when reading that, that definitely applied to the Afghan and Iraqi people at time. But could it apply to us again someday? Hopefully, if they’ve been beaten down enough, some day the American people will throw that master down again!

[Sundog]

see my #194

[Buffalo Head]

“I’m certainly doing my part.”

Please explain exactly what you are doing, other than:

1. Buying more than you need.

2. Preventing others from buying what they might actually need.

3. Creating an unnatural and unnecessary shortages.

4. Driving up the price of the commodities you are hoarding.

Do you have any concept of the following?

a) The amount of ammunition issued to a combat soldier?

b) The number of rounds expended per soldier in the average firefight?

c) The number of rounds expended in the average civilian gun fight?

d) How long a barricaded gunman survives in his bunker against heavier weaponry?

[dsutah]

Shhhhhh... let’s not project now, it might give him ideas! ;^O