We need some bullet control

I was just having a fairly boring start to my day earlier today and I came across this article.

America armed, but guns not necessarily loaded

Quote:

NEW ORLEANS – Bullet-makers are working around the clock, seven days a week, and still can't keep up with the nation's demand for ammunition.

Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation — even though nothing specific has been proposed and the president last month signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks.

Gun sales spiked when it became clear Obama would be elected a year ago and purchases continued to rise in his first few months of office. The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System reported that 6.1 million background checks for gun sales were issued from January to May, an increase of 25.6 percent from the same period the year before.

"That is going to cause an upswing in ammunition sales," said Larry Keane, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association representing about 5,000 members. "Without bullets a gun is just a paper weight."

The shortage for sportsmen is different than the scarcity of ammo for some police forces earlier this year, a dearth fueled by an increase in ammo use by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We are working overtime and still can't keep up with the demand," said Al Russo, spokesman for North Carolina-based Remington Arms Company, which makes bullets for rifles, handguns and shotguns. "We've had to add a fourth shift and go 24-7. It's a phenomenon that I have not seen before in my 30 years in the business."

Americans usually buy about 7 billion rounds of ammunition a year, according to the National Rifle Association. In the past year, that figure has jumped to about 9 billion rounds, said NRA spokeswoman Vickie Cieplak.

Jason Gregory, who manages Gretna Gun Works just outside of New Orleans, has been building his personal supply of ammunition for months. His goal is to have at least 1,000 rounds for each of his 25 weapons.

"I call it the Obama effect," said Gregory, 37, of Terrytown, La. "It always happens when the Democrats get in office. It happened with Clinton and Obama is even stronger for gun control. Ammunition will be the first step, so I'm stocking up while I can."

So far, the new administration nor Congress has not been markedly antigun. Obama has said he respects Second Amendment rights, but favors "common sense" on gun laws. Still, worries about what could happen persist.

Demand has been so heavy at some Walmarts, a limit was imposed on the amount of ammo customers can buy. The cutoff varies according to caliber and store location, but sometimes as little as one box — or 50 bullets — is allowed.

At Barnwood Arms in Ripon, Calif., sales manager Dallas Jett said some of the shortages have leveled off, but 45-caliber rounds are still hard to find.

"We've been in business for 32 years and I've been here for 10 and we've never seen anything like it," Jett said. "Coming out of Christmas everything started to dry up and it was that way all through the spring and summer.

Nationwide, distributors are scrambling to fill orders from retailers.

"We used to be able to order 50 or 60 cases and get them in three or four days easy, it was never an issue," said Vic Grechniw of Florida Ammo Traders, a distributor in Tampa, Fla. "Now you are really lucky if you can get one case a month. It just isn't there because the demand is way up."

A case contains 500 or 1,000 bullets.

At Jefferson Gun Outlet and Range in Metairie just west of New Orleans, owner Mike Mayer is worried individuals are going to start buying by the case.

"If someone wants to shoot on the weekend you have to worry about having the ammunition for them. And I know some people aren't buying to use it at the range, they're taking it home and hoarding it."

With demand, prices have also risen.

"Used to be gold, but now lead is the most expensive metal," said Donald Richards, 37, who was stocking up at the Jefferson store. "And worth every penny."

I'll be the first one to admit, that when it comes to gun laws and american politics my knowledge is incredibly limited at best.

I totally respect the fact that if people feel the need to defend themselves they're more than welcome to have that right. There is just a few things I don't understand about the article.

The article states that Americans feel that the Obama and the democratic congress are going to pass anti-gun legislation even though there has been no evidence of such legislation. Why the increase?

Its just amazing from this article that supposedly the amount of ammunition that has been purchased over the last year has increased by 2 billion.

There are several factors that have probably contributed to this, that have probably gone completely over my head. More than likely I'm probably being inadvertently ignorant, when I'm trying not to.

What are your impressions about this drastic increase in purchasing ammo?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I blame capitalism. Like i always do.

It's because capitalism and democracy are built on the idea that the most important person in the universe is oneself. People only allow government to control them because they want it to control everyone else.

Here's my question: why did guns become a symbol of American patriotism? I guess i can understand defending one's home and all that, but since when have Americans been in danger of being invaded? We Canadians are scary, sure, with our double-doubles and our maple syrup. But we're not going to kill you with them. Honest.

So my understanding becomes that the average American is really afraid of his/her neighbor. It seems from here that it's like a whole bunch of little Cold Wars happening between Americans across the country. Like a civil war could break out at any time and everyone wants to be able to do one thing - kill them before they kill you. Because it's you against the world, and no one wants to be the loser who doesn't get at least 1 point before the end of the game.

How ya doing, buddy?

You all are way over-thinking this.

This all is just a reactionary response to the fact that we currently have a Democratic president and Congressional majority, and its widely accepted amongst right leaning circles that Democrats have a propensity for passing gun control laws. (whether Obama and the Dems will try to do so is beside the point)
It also doesn't help that the tenor of those on the right has become increasingly outrageous and alarmist with the political success of the left this past election cycle.

Also, Hawkeye, your understanding of American gun culture is completely off, but also par for the course for non-Americans. Sadly I can't be arsed to straighten out every limey and canuck who comes by with an idea about our country.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Regardless of how you feel about gun control, this is a non-issue. Having 100 bullets is functionally equivalent to having 100,000 in pretty much every case where a gun would actually be used. Even for the deadliest shooting sprees, the number of fired rounds doesn't exceed a couple hundred.

No anti-gun lobbyist would be foolish enough to try a draw a causal connection between ammunition stockpiles and gun crime. So who cares if some paranoid people want to spend a lot of money on bullets?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Thread

We need some bullet control... I was just having a fairly boring start to my day earlier today...

I see what you did there

This has happened every time a democrat has taken office in recent years. Happened under Clinton, but most folks don't remember. However, in spite of the anti-gun talk, it's definitely low on his list. Worm is pretty much spot-on with this.

The belief is that since gun control isn't a hot issue, it wouldn't gather much support in congress for another assault weapons ban or something of the sort to appease anti-gun lobbyists. But slapping on a tax akin to the one applied to cigarettes is much more simple in comparison. The target would just be ammunition. Even if they looked toward this legitimately, it'd be a hilarious thought process.

"Oh, I think I'll go buy a .45 and go on a spree down at the local college and-- WHOA. Thirty bucks for forty shells? Fuck that. I'm going to a bar."

Will anything even remotely like it happen? I seriously doubt it. Obama has enough on his plate. Unless we have something akin to Columbine or some shit in the next few years.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by packrat

Also, Hawkeye, your understanding of American gun culture is completely off, but also par for the course for non-Americans. Sadly I can't be arsed to straighten out every limey and canuck who comes by with an idea about our country.

Thank you.

I know perfectly well that my idea of Americans and their culture is horribly wrong, and i'm pretty sure that most people know that Americans aren't as bad as some people make them out to be. It's just so much easier to say what we see on the surface instead of actually getting to the heart of the issue. I should really get around to fixing that...

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?