http://www.poststar.com/articles/2009/10/04/news/local/doc4ac90f8d6e061223783803.txt
FORT WORTH, Texas — David Foster of Bedford, Texas, has had a hard time all year finding ammunition for his guns.
After finding mostly empty shelves at gun stores, he finally went to a gun show a few months ago to stock up.
"I couldn’t find it anywhere except the gun show, and even there I had a hard time," said Foster, 31. "And it cost a lot."
But workers in the weapons industry point to signs that a nearly yearlong nationwide ammunition shortage may be winding down. More ammo is making it to store shelves now, and the price is slowly coming down.
"We’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," said DeWayne Irwin, owner of Cheaper Than Dirt, a Fort Worth store and online retailer. "I’ve been doing this business since 1988, and I’ve never seen something like this happen with ammunition. But it’s not going to be like this forever."
Demand for guns and ammo began growing last year before the November presidential election. It continued partly because many gun owners were concerned that President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress would reinstate an assault weapons ban or drastically raise taxes on ammunition, guns and firearms materials, analysts have said.
While there hasn’t been such action in Washington, apprehension remains and is likely playing a role in prompting people nationwide to not just buy guns and ammunition, but also to stock up on them as well, some gun enthusiasts say.
"It was the new politics and the fear of the unknown," said Robert Parks, store manager at the Alpine Shooting Range in Fort Worth. "That’s what triggered this. It was the not knowing if they were going to be able to purchase handguns or be taxed more."
David Acker of The Woodlands, Texas, noticed months ago that some types of ammunition were increasingly hard to find.
"I couldn’t get it when I needed it," he said recently while shopping for ammo. "So I stocked up when I found it."
But while many say ammunition is becoming more available in some places, that’s not the case everywhere, said Alan Korwin, author of "Gun Laws of America."
"In places such as New Hampshire, I’m still getting calls about their having shelves still bare there," he said. "Distribution around the country is spotty: In some places it’s better; in some it’s worse."
Gun enthusiasts turned out in such great numbers — both new gun owners and those who wanted to shore up their personal supplies of ammunition — that 9 billion rounds have been sold this year, up from the typical 7 billion, National Rifle Association statistics show.
"At first, so many new handgun buyers were on the scene, and this, of course, had them purchasing quantities of ammo for these handguns," said Jerry Dean, president of The Shooters Club in Fort Worth. "Now, it seems, there may be a new rush on, which is fueled by hoarders who want at least a thousand rounds per gun, or they don’t feel comfortable."
Gun shops nationwide boosted their ammunition orders many months ago after they saw demand growing — a move that likely caught manufacturers off-guard.
Companies such as Winchester Ammunition went to 24-hour workdays to boost production.
"Demand for our product continues to be high," said Valerie Peters, the company’s director of human resources. "Our facilities continue to run 24/7 to meet demand. We would not be in a position to say when demand may decrease."
As ammunition supplies began to dwindle, prices went up.
"The prices over the last year doubled or tripled," said Ron Taylor, a Denton, Texas, man recently shopping for ammunition.
At Cheaper than Dirt, for instance, the price for a box of 9 mm bullets that typically sells for $14.98 at one point reached $39 per box. The cost now is around $19.97, Irwin said.
Some types of ammunition — from .380-caliber bullets to the .30 carbine — are still not easy to find, gun store workers say.
But overall, prices have come down somewhat, as ammunition has become more available. And while supplies are not back to normal, they are easier to find now than earlier this year, several local gun store workers say.
In a typical week last year, Irwin said he would order — and receive — 50 cases of 9 mm ammunition. He places the same order now and "we’re lucky to get three cases," he said. "But a month ago, we would be lucky to get one case."
Said Korwin, "Now, almost a year later, it’s easing up. Prices are dropping almost daily, supplies are coming in, demand is lowering and stores are cutting back on orders."
Some hope that if shooters have shored up their ammo supplies and manufacturers keep working around the clock, there will be a lull long enough to replenish stocks.
Irvin said he hopes supplies and prices continue to improve in the coming months.
"I hope we’re back to normal next year sometime," he said.
FORT WORTH, Texas — David Foster of Bedford, Texas, has had a hard time all year finding ammunition for his guns.
After finding mostly empty shelves at gun stores, he finally went to a gun show a few months ago to stock up.
"I couldn’t find it anywhere except the gun show, and even there I had a hard time," said Foster, 31. "And it cost a lot."
But workers in the weapons industry point to signs that a nearly yearlong nationwide ammunition shortage may be winding down. More ammo is making it to store shelves now, and the price is slowly coming down.
"We’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," said DeWayne Irwin, owner of Cheaper Than Dirt, a Fort Worth store and online retailer. "I’ve been doing this business since 1988, and I’ve never seen something like this happen with ammunition. But it’s not going to be like this forever."
Demand for guns and ammo began growing last year before the November presidential election. It continued partly because many gun owners were concerned that President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress would reinstate an assault weapons ban or drastically raise taxes on ammunition, guns and firearms materials, analysts have said.
While there hasn’t been such action in Washington, apprehension remains and is likely playing a role in prompting people nationwide to not just buy guns and ammunition, but also to stock up on them as well, some gun enthusiasts say.
"It was the new politics and the fear of the unknown," said Robert Parks, store manager at the Alpine Shooting Range in Fort Worth. "That’s what triggered this. It was the not knowing if they were going to be able to purchase handguns or be taxed more."
David Acker of The Woodlands, Texas, noticed months ago that some types of ammunition were increasingly hard to find.
"I couldn’t get it when I needed it," he said recently while shopping for ammo. "So I stocked up when I found it."
But while many say ammunition is becoming more available in some places, that’s not the case everywhere, said Alan Korwin, author of "Gun Laws of America."
"In places such as New Hampshire, I’m still getting calls about their having shelves still bare there," he said. "Distribution around the country is spotty: In some places it’s better; in some it’s worse."
Gun enthusiasts turned out in such great numbers — both new gun owners and those who wanted to shore up their personal supplies of ammunition — that 9 billion rounds have been sold this year, up from the typical 7 billion, National Rifle Association statistics show.
"At first, so many new handgun buyers were on the scene, and this, of course, had them purchasing quantities of ammo for these handguns," said Jerry Dean, president of The Shooters Club in Fort Worth. "Now, it seems, there may be a new rush on, which is fueled by hoarders who want at least a thousand rounds per gun, or they don’t feel comfortable."
Gun shops nationwide boosted their ammunition orders many months ago after they saw demand growing — a move that likely caught manufacturers off-guard.
Companies such as Winchester Ammunition went to 24-hour workdays to boost production.
"Demand for our product continues to be high," said Valerie Peters, the company’s director of human resources. "Our facilities continue to run 24/7 to meet demand. We would not be in a position to say when demand may decrease."
As ammunition supplies began to dwindle, prices went up.
"The prices over the last year doubled or tripled," said Ron Taylor, a Denton, Texas, man recently shopping for ammunition.
At Cheaper than Dirt, for instance, the price for a box of 9 mm bullets that typically sells for $14.98 at one point reached $39 per box. The cost now is around $19.97, Irwin said.
Some types of ammunition — from .380-caliber bullets to the .30 carbine — are still not easy to find, gun store workers say.
But overall, prices have come down somewhat, as ammunition has become more available. And while supplies are not back to normal, they are easier to find now than earlier this year, several local gun store workers say.
In a typical week last year, Irwin said he would order — and receive — 50 cases of 9 mm ammunition. He places the same order now and "we’re lucky to get three cases," he said. "But a month ago, we would be lucky to get one case."
Said Korwin, "Now, almost a year later, it’s easing up. Prices are dropping almost daily, supplies are coming in, demand is lowering and stores are cutting back on orders."
Some hope that if shooters have shored up their ammo supplies and manufacturers keep working around the clock, there will be a lull long enough to replenish stocks.
Irvin said he hopes supplies and prices continue to improve in the coming months.
"I hope we’re back to normal next year sometime," he said.
