Ammo Shortage Waning, Hornady Releases Video
OutdoorHub Reporters 08.29.13
To some, the ammunition shortage that gun owners faced in early 2013 is already over. While it is true that in many parts of the country ammo can still be hard to find, or outrageously priced, boxes of bullets seem to be returning to gun shop counters in general.
“I won’t say we’re over it, but supplies are slightly coming back,” Jon Anson told the Idaho Statesman. Anson works as the director of the Idaho Firearms and Accessories Manufacturers Association. “The panic buying has subsided. It’s not increasing, anyhow. Many manufacturers have increased their build rate, such as ATK in Lewiston, to help the supply.”
While experts are hesitant to to pronounce the shortage over, they do remark that the excessive hoarding behavior seen in the first three months of 2013 have seem to dropped. Shortly after the tragic shooting in Newtown last December, many lawmakers called for tougher gun control laws. Over the next few months states such as New York, Colorado, Connecticut, and Maryland passed their own highly controversial firearms-related laws. Fearing a loss of purchasing ability, customers began to stockpile ammo in the case of a ban.
“Everybody knows people who have stuffed ammunition somewhere,” said Kayla Cuellar, director of Valiant Firearms and Ammunition. “I know extreme hoarders who dig holes out in the desert.”
Production has since stepped up, with many major ammo manufacturers such as ATK, CCI, Hornady, and others expanding with more machines and more employees. With supply stabilizing, Hornady came out with a video making light of the situation, and more than a few jokes made at itself. The message remains the same: manufacturers are working hard to ensure that customers get what they want.
