I’m not surprised to hear this; I’ve suspected it for some time.
I think Obama is Bloomberg-on-steroids. If ever there was a conspiracy, it’s in the current regime’s mind to control the world – starting with its own country. I shudder to think what they (he and/or his bureaucratic henchmen) will come up with before his term of office is finished.
I can only use what I’ve got (a decent but not exorbitant amount of ammo), then resort to other tactics, if I live so long.
b00kleggerJune 24, 2013 2:25 pm
I’m confused about this, as many of you are too judging from the range of articles online. Reading the linked story above, I feel like there is a lot of truth to it. Reading a similar article from SurvivalBlog over the weekend, that author has an opposite conclusion (Econ&Investing 6.23 – Bob Owens rimfire ammo piece).
Where is the truth of the matter? Is the current administration using various resources (Customs, taxes, registration schemes & the ‘open purchase orders’) to quash or at least run prices up on ammunition?
Is the lack of retail inventory (and high prices) simply the result of lots of new gun owners & market psychology?
Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll ever really know and reading articles with a constant back-and-forth fatigues me.
Nothing against you Claire, nothing at all — I’m a longtime fan of yours since I was a teenager and a dedicated reader of the blog.
jedJune 24, 2013 5:21 pm
I’m mostly with b00klegger on this. I’ve read and heard some crazy stories about the ammo supply, and various nefarious reasons for it. I’ve read various rebuttals too, and not just from Big Sister. I do find it entirely believable that the Obama administration is fudging definitions and tying things up in bureaucratic red tape — denying importation isn’t a recent tactic.
My chuckle from the article comes from “… antics of the Obama administration, which have a hidden agenda of disarmament”. Hidden? Seems pretty blatant to me.
Classifying things such as steel-core ammo as AP another instance of applying the ill-defined “sporting purposes” test.
And of course it’s all a bunch of hooey to start with.
Paul BonneauJune 24, 2013 6:09 pm
Agree with the hooey part; of course any ammo should be available to us, including RPGs.
However I was not aware that steel core ammo could be considered anything other than AP. Maybe someone can instruct me.
I have read varying opinions on this also, and don’t know what to think. If the shortage were only a demand-driven one, gun shops should be getting at least as much as they were before the current madness, and customers should be emptying their shelves anyway. In fact they should be getting even more than they did previously due to the factories running 24/7. But I get the impression gun shops are not getting as much as they used to get, for selling.
That’s somewhat informative about a definitional treatment. But of course, the law makes a definition for legal, not practical purposes. Reading elsewhere, the mild-steel core Chinese 7.62×39 wasn’t considered AP until the appearance of a pistol in that chambering.
Unfortunately, there’s too much cruft on the web for a quick web search to turn up anything definitive, if, in fact, such exists. I believe that most mil. AP rifle rounds would have a tungsten penetrator core, or something along those lines, rather than mild steel.
Jim B.June 24, 2013 8:06 pm
I don’t know if the Obama Administration would have the impetus to start something like this, But I would not put it past them to take advantage of the situation and make it worse for the rest of us.
After all, the ammo has always been the Achilles Heel of our guns.
jedJune 24, 2013 8:12 pm
See also The Gun Feed for more info on this. Not sure how long those links will be up there but look for:
* This Whole Ammo Shortage Thing by the Numbers
* Ammo Update… “Its over”
* Ammo Update I of II
Now, one of those articles mentions, “Now, they have literally everything you could possibly imagine as far as selection and quantity are concerned.” Okay, maybe it’s time to survey the local stores some. But “everything” isn’t well-defined in this context.
So, I looked, and note the LuckyGunner does indeed have a much better selection of 5.56 NATO on hand, albeit at still-high prices. 9mm is looking better too.
ENthePeasantJune 24, 2013 11:27 pm
I don’t doubt that Obama and his minions are trying to end destroy gunowners, their weapons and ammo. However, lots of small manufacturers are popping up. The supply will be pretty good by next year I’m guessing but don’t count on the price ever coming down… The dollar will collapse first.
Kevin 3%June 25, 2013 3:46 am
I suspect that there is a bit of truth in all of these stories. What we are witnessing is a concerted effort at back door gun control.
To anyone who has been paying attention, there can be no doubt that this regime is not to be trusted. In spite of their assertions that they support the 2A, they have begun a many-pronged assault against gun ownership. They will do anything they can to attain their goal of disarming the citizenry to wit; attempts at legislation and executive fiat, propaganda to demonize guns and those folks who use them, schemes like Fast & Furious to undermine support among the ignorant masses and scapegoat gun-shops as the fall guys, etc.
All of these things have caused panic buying, on an unprecedented scale, of guns and ammo. Naturally, the laws of supply and demand come into play and shortages occur. The ATF is notorious for making up rules as they see fit. They are an administrative agency so they can slip and slide and change methods of enforcement at will. Furthermore, there is clearly no oversight of any of the alphabet soup gangs so the play loose with the rules and if perchance anyone questions them, they cover-up. They are incrementally getting their way. However, the bottom line is this: There are so many guns in circulation and alarm has been rung so the reaction is that people are getting ready for a fight. No one on the freedom side of things wants it, but when it starts there are folks who will not avoid it.
Tree of liberty, you know.
glenn allenJune 25, 2013 4:57 am
From the band Morphine. Sums it up for me.
Listen young people I’m 74,
and I plan to live 60 or 70 more.
Yeah I’ve been all around I’ve done a few things
And I spent a few nights on the floor, oh!
Did everything wrong but I never got caught
So of course I would do it all over again
I surprised many people who’d written me off
Years ago now they’re way underground
Nobody asked me but here’s my advice
To a young man or woman who’s living this life
In a world gone to hell where nobody’s safe
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Learned a few tricks and I’ll learn a few more
And I got enough bullets to fight a small war
Nobody asked me so here’s my advice
To a young man or woman who’s living this life
In a world gone to hell where nobody’s safe
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Do not go quietly unto your grave
PatJune 25, 2013 6:02 am
_Yes_ to what Kevin 3% says.
“I suspect that there is a bit of truth in all of these stories. What we are witnessing is a concerted effort at back door gun control.”
But not just guns… There has been a concerted effort by politicos at all levels across the nation since 9/11 to entrench the socialist/fascist mentality on Americans, and speed up the process of bringing the country into compliance with its collective policies.
The fall of Soviet Russia and the Berlin Wall… the negative response toward U.N influence… the rise of neocon/Christian influence over the past 10-15 years, all have embittered the “progressives” (I use the word sarcastically) to the point of showing their hand. They are impatient with the American reaction. Obama’s Presidency the past 5 years has given them the foothold to come out of the closet swinging.
I don’t know how smart he really is, or if, not knowing how to manage a country, he’s being manipulated, but the end result is what socialists have been wanting since FDR. Gun control is the final issue on which all others depend. It’s not just about guns _per se_, but a sea change in America’s future.
Well, Lawhobbit, there are lots of ways to define that “war,” of course. I meant the part where the self owners start shooting back. So far, I’ve not shot any revenuers. 🙂
But I’d not care to determine the outcome this early in the game.
Did you ever watch a “war” between a roadrunner and a rattlesnake? It would seem that the stupid bird wouldn’t have a chance. But I have watched such things, and so have many others. It would surprise you how that works out – at least most of the time. 🙂
It ain’t over until it’s over…
smittyJune 26, 2013 10:14 am
from the Mark Levin radio show:
I’m going to tell you what I think is going on.
I don’t think domestic insurrection. Law enforcement and national security agencies, they play out multiple scenarios. They simulate multiple scenarios.
I’ll tell you what I think they’re simulating.
The collapse of our financial system, the collapse of our society and the potential for widespread violence, looting, killing in the streets, because that’s what happens when an economy collapses.
I’m not talking about a recession. I’m talking about a collapse, when people are desperate, when they can’t get food or clothing, when they have no way of going from place to place, when they can’t protect themselves.
There aren’t enough police officers on the face of the earth to adequately handle a situation like that.
I suspect, that just in case our fiscal situation collapses, our monetary situation collapses, and following it the civil society collapses – that is the rule of law – that they want to be prepared.
There is no other explanation for this.
Paul BonneauJune 26, 2013 12:27 pm
[freedomistas are losing.]
No they aren’t.
When the collapse comes, all bets are off. Anything can happen. I’m hoping for a breakup of the US.
The Infamous Oregon LawhobbitJune 26, 2013 2:28 pm
ML, the essence of war is to win, preferably with as little fighting as possible – since fighting can hurt YOU as well as the other side. It’s not just shooting. If you consider war to be only shooting, then you’ve already lost. Google up info on the 4Gs of warfare. People waiting for the shooting are hoping for 2G warfare. And 2G warriors almost inevitably lose to 4G types.
At the moment, freedomistas are losing. We haven’t lost, but the other side is pretty much getting what it wants – no small part of which is “the majority on their side.” Now, granted, I think that they’re missing some economic and historical problems coming down the track at them, but that’s a different issue…. 😉
The Infamous Oregon LawhobbitJune 26, 2013 2:50 pm
1. I use to search for ammo. The price of 5.56 is currently falling – by as much as half in certain configurations.The ice is slowly melting. Be patient, and be vigilant.
2. I have tried repeatedly to diffuse the “DHS is buying up billions of rounds of ammo” urban legend. This misunderstanding is coming from a general lack of understanding of government contracting – in this case specifically, the “Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity” procurement under which this ammo is being bought. The purpose of ID/IQ is to achieve a desirable unit price by “locking in” the *potential* for mass quantity purchases. This is advantageous to both parties. It is not a guarantee that the maximum quantity listed will in fact actually be purchased – and in fact, it usually is not.
I’m not surprised to hear this; I’ve suspected it for some time.
I think Obama is Bloomberg-on-steroids. If ever there was a conspiracy, it’s in the current regime’s mind to control the world – starting with its own country. I shudder to think what they (he and/or his bureaucratic henchmen) will come up with before his term of office is finished.
I can only use what I’ve got (a decent but not exorbitant amount of ammo), then resort to other tactics, if I live so long.
I’m confused about this, as many of you are too judging from the range of articles online. Reading the linked story above, I feel like there is a lot of truth to it. Reading a similar article from SurvivalBlog over the weekend, that author has an opposite conclusion (Econ&Investing 6.23 – Bob Owens rimfire ammo piece).
Where is the truth of the matter? Is the current administration using various resources (Customs, taxes, registration schemes & the ‘open purchase orders’) to quash or at least run prices up on ammunition?
Is the lack of retail inventory (and high prices) simply the result of lots of new gun owners & market psychology?
Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll ever really know and reading articles with a constant back-and-forth fatigues me.
Nothing against you Claire, nothing at all — I’m a longtime fan of yours since I was a teenager and a dedicated reader of the blog.
I’m mostly with b00klegger on this. I’ve read and heard some crazy stories about the ammo supply, and various nefarious reasons for it. I’ve read various rebuttals too, and not just from Big Sister. I do find it entirely believable that the Obama administration is fudging definitions and tying things up in bureaucratic red tape — denying importation isn’t a recent tactic.
My chuckle from the article comes from “… antics of the Obama administration, which have a hidden agenda of disarmament”. Hidden? Seems pretty blatant to me.
Classifying things such as steel-core ammo as AP another instance of applying the ill-defined “sporting purposes” test.
And of course it’s all a bunch of hooey to start with.
Agree with the hooey part; of course any ammo should be available to us, including RPGs.
However I was not aware that steel core ammo could be considered anything other than AP. Maybe someone can instruct me.
I have read varying opinions on this also, and don’t know what to think. If the shortage were only a demand-driven one, gun shops should be getting at least as much as they were before the current madness, and customers should be emptying their shelves anyway. In fact they should be getting even more than they did previously due to the factories running 24/7. But I get the impression gun shops are not getting as much as they used to get, for selling.
http://www.thegunzone.com/762×39.html
That’s somewhat informative about a definitional treatment. But of course, the law makes a definition for legal, not practical purposes. Reading elsewhere, the mild-steel core Chinese 7.62×39 wasn’t considered AP until the appearance of a pistol in that chambering.
Unfortunately, there’s too much cruft on the web for a quick web search to turn up anything definitive, if, in fact, such exists. I believe that most mil. AP rifle rounds would have a tungsten penetrator core, or something along those lines, rather than mild steel.
I don’t know if the Obama Administration would have the impetus to start something like this, But I would not put it past them to take advantage of the situation and make it worse for the rest of us.
After all, the ammo has always been the Achilles Heel of our guns.
See also The Gun Feed for more info on this. Not sure how long those links will be up there but look for:
* This Whole Ammo Shortage Thing by the Numbers
* Ammo Update… “Its over”
* Ammo Update I of II
Now, one of those articles mentions, “Now, they have literally everything you could possibly imagine as far as selection and quantity are concerned.” Okay, maybe it’s time to survey the local stores some. But “everything” isn’t well-defined in this context.
So, I looked, and note the LuckyGunner does indeed have a much better selection of 5.56 NATO on hand, albeit at still-high prices. 9mm is looking better too.
I don’t doubt that Obama and his minions are trying to end destroy gunowners, their weapons and ammo. However, lots of small manufacturers are popping up. The supply will be pretty good by next year I’m guessing but don’t count on the price ever coming down… The dollar will collapse first.
I suspect that there is a bit of truth in all of these stories. What we are witnessing is a concerted effort at back door gun control.
To anyone who has been paying attention, there can be no doubt that this regime is not to be trusted. In spite of their assertions that they support the 2A, they have begun a many-pronged assault against gun ownership. They will do anything they can to attain their goal of disarming the citizenry to wit; attempts at legislation and executive fiat, propaganda to demonize guns and those folks who use them, schemes like Fast & Furious to undermine support among the ignorant masses and scapegoat gun-shops as the fall guys, etc.
All of these things have caused panic buying, on an unprecedented scale, of guns and ammo. Naturally, the laws of supply and demand come into play and shortages occur. The ATF is notorious for making up rules as they see fit. They are an administrative agency so they can slip and slide and change methods of enforcement at will. Furthermore, there is clearly no oversight of any of the alphabet soup gangs so the play loose with the rules and if perchance anyone questions them, they cover-up. They are incrementally getting their way. However, the bottom line is this: There are so many guns in circulation and alarm has been rung so the reaction is that people are getting ready for a fight. No one on the freedom side of things wants it, but when it starts there are folks who will not avoid it.
Tree of liberty, you know.
From the band Morphine. Sums it up for me.
Listen young people I’m 74,
and I plan to live 60 or 70 more.
Yeah I’ve been all around I’ve done a few things
And I spent a few nights on the floor, oh!
Did everything wrong but I never got caught
So of course I would do it all over again
I surprised many people who’d written me off
Years ago now they’re way underground
Nobody asked me but here’s my advice
To a young man or woman who’s living this life
In a world gone to hell where nobody’s safe
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Learned a few tricks and I’ll learn a few more
And I got enough bullets to fight a small war
Nobody asked me so here’s my advice
To a young man or woman who’s living this life
In a world gone to hell where nobody’s safe
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Do not go quietly unto your grave
Do not go quietly unto your grave
_Yes_ to what Kevin 3% says.
“I suspect that there is a bit of truth in all of these stories. What we are witnessing is a concerted effort at back door gun control.”
But not just guns… There has been a concerted effort by politicos at all levels across the nation since 9/11 to entrench the socialist/fascist mentality on Americans, and speed up the process of bringing the country into compliance with its collective policies.
The fall of Soviet Russia and the Berlin Wall… the negative response toward U.N influence… the rise of neocon/Christian influence over the past 10-15 years, all have embittered the “progressives” (I use the word sarcastically) to the point of showing their hand. They are impatient with the American reaction. Obama’s Presidency the past 5 years has given them the foothold to come out of the closet swinging.
I don’t know how smart he really is, or if, not knowing how to manage a country, he’s being manipulated, but the end result is what socialists have been wanting since FDR. Gun control is the final issue on which all others depend. It’s not just about guns _per se_, but a sea change in America’s future.
P.S: And _YES_ to glenn allen, too!
But I heard DHS bought all the Ammo?
http://weaponsman.com/?p=9126
Thoughtful and thorough examination of the whole subject here. A large combination of factors is involved, without question.
Will the black hearted denizens of Mordor start the next war for American independence?
Probably.
ML – whatchoo mean “will … start?” That’s future tense. The war started ages ago.
And freedomistas are losing. 🙁
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/garrett1.html
Well, Lawhobbit, there are lots of ways to define that “war,” of course. I meant the part where the self owners start shooting back. So far, I’ve not shot any revenuers. 🙂
But I’d not care to determine the outcome this early in the game.
Did you ever watch a “war” between a roadrunner and a rattlesnake? It would seem that the stupid bird wouldn’t have a chance. But I have watched such things, and so have many others. It would surprise you how that works out – at least most of the time. 🙂
It ain’t over until it’s over…
from the Mark Levin radio show:
I’m going to tell you what I think is going on.
I don’t think domestic insurrection. Law enforcement and national security agencies, they play out multiple scenarios. They simulate multiple scenarios.
I’ll tell you what I think they’re simulating.
The collapse of our financial system, the collapse of our society and the potential for widespread violence, looting, killing in the streets, because that’s what happens when an economy collapses.
I’m not talking about a recession. I’m talking about a collapse, when people are desperate, when they can’t get food or clothing, when they have no way of going from place to place, when they can’t protect themselves.
There aren’t enough police officers on the face of the earth to adequately handle a situation like that.
I suspect, that just in case our fiscal situation collapses, our monetary situation collapses, and following it the civil society collapses – that is the rule of law – that they want to be prepared.
There is no other explanation for this.
[freedomistas are losing.]
No they aren’t.
When the collapse comes, all bets are off. Anything can happen. I’m hoping for a breakup of the US.
ML, the essence of war is to win, preferably with as little fighting as possible – since fighting can hurt YOU as well as the other side. It’s not just shooting. If you consider war to be only shooting, then you’ve already lost. Google up info on the 4Gs of warfare. People waiting for the shooting are hoping for 2G warfare. And 2G warriors almost inevitably lose to 4G types.
At the moment, freedomistas are losing. We haven’t lost, but the other side is pretty much getting what it wants – no small part of which is “the majority on their side.” Now, granted, I think that they’re missing some economic and historical problems coming down the track at them, but that’s a different issue…. 😉
ML: Just found this. Worth the read:
http://guerrillamerica.com/2013/06/confirmation-bias-unanimous-opinion/
1. I use to search for ammo. The price of 5.56 is currently falling – by as much as half in certain configurations.The ice is slowly melting. Be patient, and be vigilant.
2. I have tried repeatedly to diffuse the “DHS is buying up billions of rounds of ammo” urban legend. This misunderstanding is coming from a general lack of understanding of government contracting – in this case specifically, the “Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity” procurement under which this ammo is being bought. The purpose of ID/IQ is to achieve a desirable unit price by “locking in” the *potential* for mass quantity purchases. This is advantageous to both parties. It is not a guarantee that the maximum quantity listed will in fact actually be purchased – and in fact, it usually is not.