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.”

[HotLead61]

If the people arent afraid of the govt, then why is it that while people are cutting back on everything else, theyre buying guns and ammo like its going out of style?

It's not just fear of the government; it's also concern about lawlessness in general, especially considering the rate of unemployment & the proliferation of violent drug-gangs anywhere near metro areas. Throw in illegal aliens trying to survive, plus garden-variety thugs too lazy to work for what they want, and you get a potent combination.

[El Gato]

Do you think that the CZ-52 might be "too much" for a woman who is not a regular shooter, has relativley small hands with short fingers, and has heretofore only fired .22 pistols (specifically Colt Woodsman and S&W 422, the latter is a pretty light alloy framed gun.)

If so, or even if not, what do you think of the CZ-82 or Polish P64, both in 9x18?

If I didn't like it so much, I'd just give her my M-1 Carbine. I just bought 1,000 rounds for it, and would like to shoot some of 'em.

[Jim Noble]

We're not worried about Obama's laws.

We're worried about running out of ammo before we run out of tyrants.

[Jim Noble]

Is all that hoarding out of fear

No, we are unafraid.

If they could be without fear at Valley Forge and at Yorktown, we would rightly be ashamed to show our faces if we were afraid now.

[an amused spectator]

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

I get the warm fuzzies just thinking about it...

[El Gato]

People are willing to pay far more than what the products are worth.

In a free market, things are worth what people are willing to pay and sell them for.

[Gator113]

I know and I knew somebody on here would point that out, but I was too lazy to change it.

[El Gato]

I read that a general talking to Stalin about the occupation of America was interrupted by Stalin, who said that, "you don't occupy a country that has 200 million snipers".

Stalin didn't have enough rifles to issue one to every troop, even the front line assault wave.

Meanwhile, we sent our privately owned weapons to the similarly "don't trust the people with guns", British to arm their Home Guard. Well, some of them, the rest were used by our own Home Guard, who patroled such strategic targets as dams and power plants.

[Gator113]

Besides Cap’t, when I was a Sergeant, I did it my way.... I never listened to a Captain, sir. ;>)

[El Gato]

If they could be without fear at Valley Forge and at Yorktown, we would rightly be ashamed to show our faces if we were afraid now.

Nothing wrong with being afraid. It concentrates the mind, and prepares the body. You just can't let it keep you from doing what needs to be done. They didn't, and we won't.

[El Gato]

Besides Cap’t, when I was a Sergeant, I did it my way.... I never listened to a Captain, sir. ;>)

Sergeants should listen their Captains, if their Captains listen to their Chiefs. My assignments didn't generally give me much chance to listen to the Chiefs, but when they did, I did.

[Drill Thrawl]

I saw a gun dealer or TV the other day who said he put up BO’s picture with an “Employee of the Month” award.

[Tailback]

Did he mean #4 buck? IMHO I want something to cut the central nervous system in case of PCP or Meth user. Birdshot at close range will cause massive soft tissue damage but that might not mean an instant stop. #4 or #1 Buck will penetrate to the spinal cord but not overpenetrate within a neighborhood causing injuries to innocents.

00buck is good for cops because they might want to penetrate car doors, home doors and/or walls. For home defense 00buck is probably overkill.

[ponygirl]

me too..my plan is to have enough to defend my family when the welfare zombie people finally decide theyve had can't get enough free stuff from Barry

Fixed that for you.

[ataDude]

I’m still surprised that people appear to be surprised.

[ponygirl]

Work with your like-minded friends and neighbors to tag-team stores. Know what each other is looking for and get what you can when you can - then spread the wealth! ;^)

I live in the Gay Ghetto, so I've stockpiled lube and wine coolers. I expect to make a killing on resales when Armageddon hits.

[Technogeeb]

The following is a public service announcement.

This message has been brought to you by the letter M, and the number 48...

[Texasdave75229]

Biggest shortagge I find is primers. They are tough to find

[MaxMax]

I got lucky last week and found 3k small rifle primers online, supplies are practically nonexistent

[Uncle Ivan]

Tried to buy a couple boxes of .38 ammo the other day, and could not. The only thing the local Wal-Mart had were .22 shells. It’s never happened before here.