Reaction to threats by Senator Dianne Feinstein and others to ban certain weapons and severely restrict ownership of guns generally has caused a run on gun stores, as is widely reported.
Less reported is the run on ammunition, leaving ammunition inventories down 93% since election day.
So reports Traction Control blog, Plunge! Ammunition Levels Less Than 10% of Pre-Election Levels:
Ammunition Stock levels have fallen by more than 90% from the pre-Election Day levels. Less than 10% remains available. Available Ammunition links will be updated throughout the day.Handguns are down by 80%, Long Guns by 63% for an overall 72.2% reduction in firearms inventories.AR pattern rifles are becoming particularly difficult to source.
In some locations, ammunition is hard to find:
Gun buyers in Houston have bought up the entire inventory of AR guns. It is not just the guns. The ammunition is sold out. The magazines are sold out, and not just the magazines that hold 30 or more rounds. Even finding a 10-round magazine is elusive. And ammunition? The smaller boxes of ammunition in the 223-556 calibers may be found, but not the larger boxes. Try calling Top Gun, Academy, Carter Country and other stores and you will get more or less the same answer: “We are sold out entirely, we have no idea when we are getting new stock in, and we have no idea what the pricing will be.” Even the online sites that deal in guns and ammo are now low on inventory as sales have spiked.
Investors are noticing what it will mean for ammunition manufacturers in 2013:
Right now, ammo is severely constrained in all major retail stores and online. Local checks by the author at multiple Academy Sports and Outdoors, (which is owned by (KKR), Walmart (WMT), and Dicks Sporting Goods (DKS) have all meet with the same feedback — gun sales, especially of AR-type weapons and pistols, are highly elevated, with some places being sold out of AR-type weapons. Ammo is scarce for popular rounds such as 9mm, .40 cal, .223, and 7.62×39.Online stores such as cheaperthandirt.com are also sold out on many popular rounds. We had to go all the way to the 9th product page to find 9mm in a 50 round box for sale! …Clearly, ammo is in high demand right now, and from our point of view, it has never been harder to find.
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