# NRA Reveals Who's to Blame for Ammo Shortage: You



## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

The NRA blames firearm owners as the cause..... While to some degree that true, however the NRA needs to share in the blame... The article points out the following:
*The NRA doesn't exactly bring clean hands to this debate, of course. The association's incessant drumbeat of panic-talk about President Barack Obama wanting to "come and take your guns" was arguably the firing pin that ignited the wave of panic-buying in 2007-2008.*
The NRA Reveals Who's to Blame for Ammo Shortage: You


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## AdamSmith (Dec 18, 2013)

Exactly, it's just pre-apocalyptic hoarding.

Even so, it never hurts to have a good ammo supply on hand.

You just never know when there is going to be another Civil War.

Or, what if China really does invade the West Coast?

Or, Mexico invade from the South?

Better to be prepared.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

> "The NRA doesn't exactly bring clean hands to this debate, of course. The association's incessant drumbeat of panic-talk about President Barack Obama wanting to "come and take your guns" was arguably the firing pin that ignited the wave of panic-buying in 2007-2008."


How quickly we forget the media's incessant drumbeat for gun control legislation, the demonization of legitimate gun ownership and of course Feinstein's proposal to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines and God knows what else, after Sandy Hook. I swear to God I thought that was it. They were absolutely relentless in their quest, CNN in particular and that "Slimy Limey" Pierce Morgan. It was after that when panic set in and ammunition started to get scarce and guns were being sold in record numbers. There's no doubt in my mind that if given the chance Obama and his cohorts in the Democratic Party would indeed push for legislation that would eventually lead to the confiscation of all privately owned firearms in the United States. One only needs to look at the legislation that was passed in New York, Connecticut and Maryland where the most draconian laws were passed. Cuomo (Ill Duce) even stated that confiscation was on the table. Folks, these people are serious, mark my words confiscation is their goal, they have no where else to go. I say good for the NRA, if they succeeded in scaring the crap out of people, increased their membership and motivated enough people to get off their dead asses and do something. We won that battle at the federal level for the time being, but the war still goes on.


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

The NRA is, as usual, full of crap; and that absurd statistical analysis the article's author puts forth, as well as the specious reasoning behind it, are all intellectual nonsense. I was an NRA member back in 1977. I learned, beyond any shadow of doubt, not to trust the NRA leadership then (and that includes the much overhyped Harlon Carter), and nothing that's happened in the succeeding 37 years has caused me to change my mind. Be it a corporation or an entire country the very best way to defeat any group enterprise is always from within.

I have exactly one good use for the National Rifle Association: Although severely handicapped by the remote and outrageously costly Whittington Center, the NRA is still a good organization from which to learn how to handle firearms; BUT, you can mostly thank the general membership for that!

*CONTRIBUTING REASONS FOR THE ONGOING AMMUNITION SHORTAGE:*​
*What are the most commonly given reasons for today's shortages of civilian ammunition? *

1. Increased military purchases and consumption.

Not completely true! The three largest military ammunition manufacturers in America are currently NOT operating their manufacturing plants at, anywhere near, full capacity.

2. Increased police weapon upgrades, continued militarization of local police forces, and greater police demand for both training and patrol ammunition.

Again, not completely true! For the same reasons as stated above. Military and paramilitary ammunition sales could easily be met by exactly the same primarily military ammunition suppliers; BUT, this is NOT being done.

3. Increased civilian consumer demand.

True, but with certain provisos: Restricted ammunition flow to the civilian market is caused, mainly, by the larger ammunition manufacturers apparently deliberate and contrived mismanagement of: production lines, resource allocations, and the carefully focused selection of, 'preferred customers'.

Another contributing factor to America's current shortage of civilian ammunition is the ongoing, 'corporate capture' of numerous firearm and ammunition manufacturers into tightly controlled and easily (mis)managed Wall Street investment holding companies.

The logical assumption is that an investment holding company is expected to show a profit, and to conduct itself accordingly; but, what if this assumption is largely invalid? What if an investment holding company is actually structured in such a way that it really doesn't, 'give a rat's behind' about whether or not its gun company holdings show a profit, or not!

Impossible, you say! Ahh, no, not in the world of the Super Rich whose collective wealth and overwhelming international control of nations and governments easily exceed the mundane imaginations of most men. When any tightly controlled conglomerate's world investment holdings produce billions and billions of dollars it's no great loss to deliberately squander tens of millions of dollars in order to facilitate a strongly desired and much more useful means of control over a national population.

Very wealthy people don't get out of bed in the morning in order to earn more money. (What for?) These people get up everyday in order to increase their personal authority, and extend their willful and manipulative control over all other men. The game is, and always has been, more about: personal power, individual presence, and social politics than it ever has been about simply making money.

*Now, what are the other, less than obvious reasons? *

4. The Obama administration has arbitrarily and illegally halted the release and sale of, 'once-fired' military brass to the civilian market.

It's the old story of an antithetical presidential administration AND its congressional supporters maliciously tampering with government supplies, and deliberately limiting availability to the American public of: used and unused military ammunition, ammunition components, and older military small arms.

'Why'? How do, 'they' always manage to get away with these patently unconstitutional public -and largely illegal - social behaviors? '*PUBLIC SAFETY*' is always the overused and oft-stated reason. Which causes a budding cynic like me to wonder, '_Am I safer if other men are prohibited from owning firearms; or am I safer if all the politicians and lawyers were forced to give up their cushy professions, and go out, and find real jobs?_' (William Shakespeare, perhaps benevolently, wondered the same thing!)***

5. Recently introduced, 'environmental protection' legislation which has closed down all of America's lead smelting plants. This makes China the current leading world supplier of lead, and greatly impedes the ability of all, but the very largest, American ammunition manufacturers to obtain lead.

Who's going to be the most likely corporate entities to profit from China's newfound control over the world's lead supplies? Probably the larger ammunition manufacturers, themselves. The big ammunition companies are going start receiving preferential treatment; and, as night follows day, the first thing these ammunition manufacturing companies will do is to create lists of, 'preferred customers'. (Right now things aren't looking all that rosy for future sales of ammunition to America's civilian market.)

In spite of published protestations to the contrary, ATK - the largest manufacturer of its kind in America - owns and operates several large military ammunition plants that are not running at anywhere near maximum capacity; and, I daresay, that if ammunition industry: manufacturing schedules, product selections, and the necessary resources were distributed in a different and more productive way, then, there would be no ammunition supply conflicts between: military, paramilitary, (today's local police forces) and civilian ammunition needs; (but, clearly, whoever's in charge does NOT want things to work this way).

So, what have we got? A civilian ammunition shortage that is *BEYOND STATISTICAL EXPLANATION*, largely contrived, and the covert result of deliberate corporate mismanagement. These created and largely artificial problems include: difficult acquisition of resources, haphazard production planning and scheduling, followed by consequently sporadic product manufacture, and final distribution. Do I, personally, expect this situation to improve? No, I do not. In fact I expect things to get a whole lot worse BEFORE they get better; and I'm fairly well certain that, 'the really big money' is betting with me on this.

*INTERESTING READING:*

http://www.infowars.com/weapons-manufacturer-big-sis-attempting-to-exhaust-ammo-supplies/

http://pjmedia.com/blog/nationwide-ammunition-shortage-hits-us/2/

*NOTES:* If I might wax philosophical for a moment. Perhaps the only way humanity-at-large is ever able to truly learn anything is through what history most often calls, ' the dialectic conflict of opposites'. (The Socratic Method) If the given premise is that, 'Mankind is incapable of honest self-government.' then the idyllic ideation behind the manifest concept, itself, must be established as being thoroughly self-validating in order for the stated premise to be true. The battle is, then, not physical, not intellectual, nor academic. The real battle is spiritual - Spiritual!

What does this mean? It means that the achievement of, 'honest UNIVERSAL self-government' must, of necessity, involve great human suffering; and some of that suffering might very well be personal. (As personal as it is unavoidable.)

Have you ever read the biblical Book of Revelation, and pondered to yourself, 'Why' all human affairs have to end in such savage turmoil and bloodshed? 'Couldn't God, in His omniscience, conclude the affairs of an (admittedly) evil world in another, more peaceful and less injurious way?' My own conclusion? God, in His wisdom and magnanimity, allows His creation to exhibit a certain free will - Which implies an inherent freedom for mankind to rebel.

Free will, for its part, exists in two principal forms: collective, and individual. From a universal perspective, if mankind's collective free will remains strongly antithetical to God - even to the absurd extent of doubting His existence - then the concomitant extent of human suffering necessary to, '*right what is actually a universal wrong*' also has to increase exponentially.

Just like cancer cells in the body, human suffering will continue to expand until the greater collective spirit ultimately becomes broken, and - faced with unmitigated agony - any associated, but rebellious, free will finally relents. (Kind 'a like a child repeatedly sticking his hand into the fire until he just can't stand the pain, anymore, and finally decides never to stick his hand into the fire, again!)

Even thought I realize the wisdom of what I'm about to say won't be generally appreciated, I'm going to put forth the following caveat: '_By the standard that ye judge so shall you be judged; and by the measure that you met out to others, so shall you, yourself, be measured._' (Matthew 7:2)

Christ meant exactly what He said; and this statement is, in and of itself, proof-positive that fallen mankind is, utterly and ultimately, completely incapable of honest and equitable self-government; or, (and I paraphrase) in the supremely facetious words of one of the most cerebral and, at the same time, profoundly deceitful intellectual degenerates Western civilization has ever produced, 'We have given America a Republic.' 'Now, let's see if you're able to keep it!'

(Franklin already KNEW the correct answer to his snide remark; and the current shortages of small arms ammunition to the civilian marketplace are, but, one more symptom of a much larger social issue - One which the American public has repeatedly demonstrated itself to be exceedingly incapable of grasping.)

Judeo-Christianity (ethical interpersonal behavior among men) has an - admittedly ignored, but - very high intrinsic value; and, as human affairs continue to degenerate, worldwide, that value is going to steadily increase and become more and more apparent. Unfortunately for mankind-at-large as this value continues to rise it's compulsory price will correspondingly continue to escalate!

What is this price? Originally I wasn't going to say it; but I've changed my mind: Human blood, sweat, and tears! Which is, as I have already stated, quite possibly the only way that humanity-at-large ever, really, learns anything.

*** William Shakespeare, 'Henry VI', Part II, Act IV. Scene II, Line 73.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Good read!

Thanks!!


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Ammo shortage is much simpler than that.

- On a recent survey, firearms retailers reported 1 in 4 gun buyers were first-time buyers (reported a year or so ago). That is also an instant increase of ammo buyers, on top of previous existing demand.

- Existing non-hobbyist gun owners, who might have continued to buy a box or two as-needed, suddenly found empty shelves due to increased demand (election-related, more-buyers-related, whatever the reason). Once folks have been prevented from buying ammo one or more times, the NEXT time it's available, they buy more than they would otherwise need for one trip to the range, so they don't get shorted again. This is entirely rational; a gun without ammo is a paperweight or a club, at best. This is NOT hoarding! Think of it this way: no one buys gas for their vehicle based on what they think they will be needing for the next one or two quick uses of their vehicle. If you want to go shooting on your own schedule, not based on availability of ammo, you don't wait until you actually need ammo to buy it; you buy it when you can get it. So now, we have another increase in demand, driven by existing shooters/owners, and the longer this type of problem lasts, the more folks it affects (if you had a years' worth of rimfire ammo at the beginning of 2013, and haven't been able to buy more, you are now OUT, and you are now added to those folks searching for, and immediately buying, any ammo that they can find at a reasonable price).

- As the price for all types of ammo increased and the shortages became longer and/or more severe, some folks started to buy and "flip" ammo at increased prices to make money. Again, another increase in demand (these folks would not have been buying, or not buying at an increased rate, if the market hadn't gotten so short).

- As more folks found that centerfire ammo was in increasingly short supply (or at a much higher cost), they began to switch over to shooting rimfires whenever they could. This, combined with the new shooters who bought rimfire rifles/pistols for their first gun purchase (a long-time recommendation for non-defense-related gun buyers), created a spike in the demand for rimfire ammo that continues to this day. 

Not rocket science, just supply and demand; greatly increased demand, and supply can't keep up. The manufacturers ramped-up production by adding extra shifts (verified by multiple sources), but WILL NOT add production capacity (more machines/plants) based on what they see as a temporary surge in orders. Again, totally rational.


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