Charlie (
slowsculpture) wrote2009-11-21 03:28 pm
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Flamewar in 3... 2...
I haven't bitched about this publicly, because I assumed it would be a short-lived phenomenon, but it's been a year, now, with no end in sight, so to hell with it. Right-wing gun nuts have created the ammo shortage they were so paranoid about last year. And it's screwing things up for all of us nonpartisan gun nuts.
For those of you who don't shoot, let me describe what it's like to buy ammunition, this year: First, you call all of the stores in your area and ask if they have anything in the caliber you want. Anything at all, and the typical answer is a no. Nothing. Mind you, this is my experience shopping for .22lr and 12 gauge birdshot, of all things, and I'm talking about every kind of shop, from mom-and-pop gun stores to big sporting goods chains. In those one-in-ten cases when they do have stock, you drive over, get in line, and insert yourself into the conversation with your fellow shoppers about who is buying what, and how you can arrange it so that everybody gets something they can use. Last weekend, I watched two police academy cadets and a civilian bargain over the last 60 rounds of .40 at the local Wal-Mart, and that's a pretty typical scene.
Believe me: it was nothing like this before the election. Ammunition used to be as much a retail product as inkpens or french fries, and it's hard to put a finger on what has really changed. News outlets have offered explanations ranging from the war, which is utter bullshit, to increased demand from law enforcement, which is... a more thoughtfully chosen line of bullshit, but still bullshit. The plain fact is, people are stockpiling. Many shooters saw the Obama election as the end of an era in gun legislation. The NRA made him out as someone just itching to reinstate every gun ban and surcharge the country has ever seen, and to add a few more on top, just for the fun of it. That's a characterization that I didn't see greeted with much scrutiny, either - sadly, gun culture seems to be a ready-made echo chamber for republican talking points. It just seemed to become a mantra. And sure enough, by the time our new president was sworn in, your friendly neighborhood ammo counter had been cleaned out of everything down to snap-caps.
Here's the punchline: The sudden uptick of demand created a temporary shortage, and the temporary shortage created another sudden uptick in demand. Thus, the prophecy was fulfilled. It's hard for me to believe, but the cycle has continued all year. Some people have wished out loud that manufacturers would step up production, but I think they're right to see this as a speculative bubble, and I lay the blame solely with consumers. Folks, can we have a brief reality check? Like, maybe limit your stockpiling to types of ammunition that could be restricted by an assault weapons ban, so I can get on the range with my damned .22's again? Or hell, how about paying attention to your elected officials' actual voting records, instead of believing everything you heard during the presidential campaign? You guys 'playing fort' every time a democrat gets elected make us all look like idiots.
For those of you who don't shoot, let me describe what it's like to buy ammunition, this year: First, you call all of the stores in your area and ask if they have anything in the caliber you want. Anything at all, and the typical answer is a no. Nothing. Mind you, this is my experience shopping for .22lr and 12 gauge birdshot, of all things, and I'm talking about every kind of shop, from mom-and-pop gun stores to big sporting goods chains. In those one-in-ten cases when they do have stock, you drive over, get in line, and insert yourself into the conversation with your fellow shoppers about who is buying what, and how you can arrange it so that everybody gets something they can use. Last weekend, I watched two police academy cadets and a civilian bargain over the last 60 rounds of .40 at the local Wal-Mart, and that's a pretty typical scene.
Believe me: it was nothing like this before the election. Ammunition used to be as much a retail product as inkpens or french fries, and it's hard to put a finger on what has really changed. News outlets have offered explanations ranging from the war, which is utter bullshit, to increased demand from law enforcement, which is... a more thoughtfully chosen line of bullshit, but still bullshit. The plain fact is, people are stockpiling. Many shooters saw the Obama election as the end of an era in gun legislation. The NRA made him out as someone just itching to reinstate every gun ban and surcharge the country has ever seen, and to add a few more on top, just for the fun of it. That's a characterization that I didn't see greeted with much scrutiny, either - sadly, gun culture seems to be a ready-made echo chamber for republican talking points. It just seemed to become a mantra. And sure enough, by the time our new president was sworn in, your friendly neighborhood ammo counter had been cleaned out of everything down to snap-caps.
Here's the punchline: The sudden uptick of demand created a temporary shortage, and the temporary shortage created another sudden uptick in demand. Thus, the prophecy was fulfilled. It's hard for me to believe, but the cycle has continued all year. Some people have wished out loud that manufacturers would step up production, but I think they're right to see this as a speculative bubble, and I lay the blame solely with consumers. Folks, can we have a brief reality check? Like, maybe limit your stockpiling to types of ammunition that could be restricted by an assault weapons ban, so I can get on the range with my damned .22's again? Or hell, how about paying attention to your elected officials' actual voting records, instead of believing everything you heard during the presidential campaign? You guys 'playing fort' every time a democrat gets elected make us all look like idiots.