The question is why is there a 22LR ammo shortage? I have read and heard many explanations for the shortage.
I like everyone else remembers when you could go to places like Walmart and buy a brick of 500, 22LR for prices like $10. and then it went up to $20. In a three year span. Now, if you can find it on the internet it is so high that many of us just shake our heads and say to ourselves I will just wait. Others give in a buy it for that price.
What is your valid explanation?
Here is one reason that was given by a person in a forum, this other is from an article in Forbes.
‘Demand has way exceeded supply. I too have had a hard time finding .22LR. Or if the ammo is stocked, price is $21.99 to $22.99 for say Federal Bulk Pack (525 rounds) or Remington (I believe 525 rounds). Our local Cabela's had 2100 rounds of Federal Bulk Pack in a metal ammo box for $99.99. Used to be $84.99. At the same Cabela's, they are out of target, match, and subsonic .22LR ammo. All because of a couple of delusional murdering lunatics.’
Next is From Forbes
It’s easy to understand this worry. As gun sales break records-partly because of fear of coming gun control from the Obama administration-supplies of ammo ran so low that gun stores and ranges have to ration ammunition. Meanwhile, rumors of mass purchases of ammunition made by government entities began to fly around the Internet. Making all this even worse is that fact that it hasn’t been a short-term supply problem. Now well over a year since the shortages of popular types of ammo began there are still empty shelves and rationing here and there around the United States.
Mix this series of events with a media that doesn’t understand the issue enough to explain it (even if they could drop their biases long enough to try), add a pinch of understandable paranoia from some gun owners and ka-boom!
Such an explosion, in fact, that many ammo makers have felt compelled to publish explanations. Also, the National Rifle Association (NRA) felt compelled by its membership to investigate and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for gun, ammo and related businesses, decided to look into the problem. There was even a congressional hearing.
At the hearing, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who chairs one of the House oversight subcommittees, noted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using roughly 1,000 rounds of ammunition more per person than the U.S. Army. “It is entirely … inexplicable why the Department of Homeland Security needs so much ammunition,” said Chaffetz.
Chaffetz noted that DHS bought more than 103 million rounds in 2012 and used 116 million that same year for about 70,000 public employees. Chaffetz said the DHS is shooting up between 1,300 and 1,600 rounds per person, while the U.S. Army goes through only about 350 rounds annually per soldier. These numbers led some gun bloggers to cry conspiracy; though, many others noted that 350 rounds per soldier is a pretty stingy way to train people to shoot automatic weapons.
Also, the DHS buys ammo for its own police force, for Customs and Border Protection, for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, for Immigration & Customs Enforcement, for the U.S. Secret Service, for the Transportation Security Administration and for other federal entities. Meanwhile, U.S. Army personnel train for a long list of job responsibilities, many of which have little to do with small arms.
Nevertheless, Nick Nayak, chief procurement officer for the DHS, didn’t push back against Chaffetz’s numbers. Nayak said that DHS, on average, buys roughly 100 million rounds per year. He said claims that DHS is stockpiling ammo are “simply not true.” DHS buys in bulk to save money, but overall its purchases are actually slightly down. In fact, a letter from DHS explained that in 2010 the DHS purchased 148,314,825 rounds. In 2011 the DHS bought 108,664,054 rounds. And in 2012 the DHS purchased 103,178,200 rounds of ammo.
Federal Premium Ammunition, an American ammo manufacturer founded in 1992 that now has 1,400 employees in Anoka, Minn., published a statement saying the rumor that the DHS is “buying excessive quantities of ammunition thereby restricting availability to the commercial market” is a “false and baseless claim.” They say, “The Department of Homeland Security contract makes up a very small percentage of our total ammunition output. This contract is not taking ammunition away from civilians. The current increase in demand is attributed to the civilian market. Our production volumes on government contracts have been stable since the mid-2000s.”
So if this shortage of ammo isn’t a sinister government plot, what’s going on? For answers I interviewed manufacturers, gun-store owners, members of gun-rights organizations and more. Here’s what they have to say and what’s to come.
American Ammo Makers Are Expanding
The increased demand has prompted ammunition makers in the U.S. to expand facilities, add new shifts and streamline production. Federal Premium says, “Our facilities operate 24-hours a day. We are continually making process improvements to increase our efficiency and investing in capital and personnel where we have sustained demand. We are bringing additional capacity online again this year.”
As they work to catch up with demand, Federal posted a statement on its website saying, “We are currently experiencing high demand for our products. We appreciate your patience and support and remain committed to serving all of our customers, from hunters and sport shooters to those who protect our country and our streets.”
I like everyone else remembers when you could go to places like Walmart and buy a brick of 500, 22LR for prices like $10. and then it went up to $20. In a three year span. Now, if you can find it on the internet it is so high that many of us just shake our heads and say to ourselves I will just wait. Others give in a buy it for that price.
What is your valid explanation?
Here is one reason that was given by a person in a forum, this other is from an article in Forbes.
‘Demand has way exceeded supply. I too have had a hard time finding .22LR. Or if the ammo is stocked, price is $21.99 to $22.99 for say Federal Bulk Pack (525 rounds) or Remington (I believe 525 rounds). Our local Cabela's had 2100 rounds of Federal Bulk Pack in a metal ammo box for $99.99. Used to be $84.99. At the same Cabela's, they are out of target, match, and subsonic .22LR ammo. All because of a couple of delusional murdering lunatics.’
Next is From Forbes
It’s easy to understand this worry. As gun sales break records-partly because of fear of coming gun control from the Obama administration-supplies of ammo ran so low that gun stores and ranges have to ration ammunition. Meanwhile, rumors of mass purchases of ammunition made by government entities began to fly around the Internet. Making all this even worse is that fact that it hasn’t been a short-term supply problem. Now well over a year since the shortages of popular types of ammo began there are still empty shelves and rationing here and there around the United States.
Mix this series of events with a media that doesn’t understand the issue enough to explain it (even if they could drop their biases long enough to try), add a pinch of understandable paranoia from some gun owners and ka-boom!
Such an explosion, in fact, that many ammo makers have felt compelled to publish explanations. Also, the National Rifle Association (NRA) felt compelled by its membership to investigate and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for gun, ammo and related businesses, decided to look into the problem. There was even a congressional hearing.
At the hearing, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who chairs one of the House oversight subcommittees, noted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using roughly 1,000 rounds of ammunition more per person than the U.S. Army. “It is entirely … inexplicable why the Department of Homeland Security needs so much ammunition,” said Chaffetz.
Chaffetz noted that DHS bought more than 103 million rounds in 2012 and used 116 million that same year for about 70,000 public employees. Chaffetz said the DHS is shooting up between 1,300 and 1,600 rounds per person, while the U.S. Army goes through only about 350 rounds annually per soldier. These numbers led some gun bloggers to cry conspiracy; though, many others noted that 350 rounds per soldier is a pretty stingy way to train people to shoot automatic weapons.
Also, the DHS buys ammo for its own police force, for Customs and Border Protection, for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, for Immigration & Customs Enforcement, for the U.S. Secret Service, for the Transportation Security Administration and for other federal entities. Meanwhile, U.S. Army personnel train for a long list of job responsibilities, many of which have little to do with small arms.
Nevertheless, Nick Nayak, chief procurement officer for the DHS, didn’t push back against Chaffetz’s numbers. Nayak said that DHS, on average, buys roughly 100 million rounds per year. He said claims that DHS is stockpiling ammo are “simply not true.” DHS buys in bulk to save money, but overall its purchases are actually slightly down. In fact, a letter from DHS explained that in 2010 the DHS purchased 148,314,825 rounds. In 2011 the DHS bought 108,664,054 rounds. And in 2012 the DHS purchased 103,178,200 rounds of ammo.
Federal Premium Ammunition, an American ammo manufacturer founded in 1992 that now has 1,400 employees in Anoka, Minn., published a statement saying the rumor that the DHS is “buying excessive quantities of ammunition thereby restricting availability to the commercial market” is a “false and baseless claim.” They say, “The Department of Homeland Security contract makes up a very small percentage of our total ammunition output. This contract is not taking ammunition away from civilians. The current increase in demand is attributed to the civilian market. Our production volumes on government contracts have been stable since the mid-2000s.”
So if this shortage of ammo isn’t a sinister government plot, what’s going on? For answers I interviewed manufacturers, gun-store owners, members of gun-rights organizations and more. Here’s what they have to say and what’s to come.
American Ammo Makers Are Expanding
The increased demand has prompted ammunition makers in the U.S. to expand facilities, add new shifts and streamline production. Federal Premium says, “Our facilities operate 24-hours a day. We are continually making process improvements to increase our efficiency and investing in capital and personnel where we have sustained demand. We are bringing additional capacity online again this year.”
As they work to catch up with demand, Federal posted a statement on its website saying, “We are currently experiencing high demand for our products. We appreciate your patience and support and remain committed to serving all of our customers, from hunters and sport shooters to those who protect our country and our streets.”
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