Seeing lots of reports out of Florida lately of ammo shortages--here's one.
After a surge in firearms sales linked to political change in Washington, some South Florida gun dealers report an inability to meet the demand for certain types of ammunition.I have zero faith in the "stimulus" package, but our new political "masters" have certainly managed to stimulate one part of the economy--although it happens to be the one they would most like to strangle.
"People are hoarding," said Vito Servideo, whose Pompano Beach store, Only The Best, specializes in high-caliber weapons.
"People are stocking up because they think they're not going to be able to get it anymore," Soles said.I get so tired of people crediting (or blaming, depending on outlook) Bush for the expiration of the AWB. He had nothing to do with it--he couldn't very well sign a bill that never reached his desk. He campaigned on a promise to sign it, and his alliance with gun owners was rather lukewarm on his part, and one of convenience, giving me little reason to doubt that campaign promise.
Fueling the buying spree is uncertainty. Some sport shooters tell dealers they fear certain military-caliber rounds could be unavailable if the Obama administration restores the Clinton-era ban on assault weapons that President George W. Bush allowed to expire. As a candidate, Obama said he favored the ban.
While high-caliber ammunition for rifles is most in demand, Larry Smith, general manager of Bass Pro Shops in Dania, said sales have risen "pretty much across the board" to include all ammunition. Smith said that although his store has not run out of any type of ammunition, or had to ration sales, "it's been a challenge to keep up. The supply is limited."I'm not sure what makes .223 and 7.62x39mm "high-caliber," but that's "Authorized Journalism" for you.
Who is buying?
"Everybody," Servideo said. "Your normal Joe is now buying four, five boxes where before they might have just bought one."
Does anyone want to take a stab at explaining the layoffs at Federal Cartridge Corporation?
By the way, David's questionnaire for NRA Board of Directors Candidates is up, and if given sufficient attention, it could lead to an NRA that we could all be proud of.
Stumble it!
4 comments:
I've thought about the Federal Cartridge layoffs, and will drop some clues that someone less busy than I might be able to follow up on.
Federal is owned by ATK. ATK is publicly traded.
http://www.google.com/finance?q=atk
You can, on the right side, find links to webcasts or podcasts of conference calls. They will usually explain, in great detail, the whys and wherefores of business moves (all usually designed to "maximize shareholder value") in these quarterly conferences.
If Federal/ATK laid off workers, either a government contract ended, someone foresees a near-term dropoff in demand for ammo (and the reason for this this is a crucial piece of info that we don't know - pending legislation, or a natural collapse in demand after a sharp run-up perhaps) OR maybe the aerospace division ain't doing so hot and they need to offset costs within the company as a whole.
I haven't had time to follow up on this stuff - maybe someone else can.
Most people construe "high caliber" to begin somewheres between .375 and .416 in RIFLE cartridges. That's where the dividing line is on most gun forums and in most gun writing.
Definitely isn't .223 or 7.62x39 or even 7.62NATO or Russkie.
Forgot to add...those chamberings I mentioned above are light hunting pistol cartridges in some of our worlds. :-)
Since that article was published around election day, I wonder if conditions changed (as in high demand & 'hoarding') since it was written.
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