There is apparently an ammunition shortage in the USA.   Some say the shortages stem from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are causing manufacturers to focus on military need, coupled with increased training exercises by law enforcement officials.  But there is also evidence of stockpiling by private gun owners who fear the Obama Administration will move to limit gun ownership or tax ammunition heavily.

According to some of the gun owners at a gun show in Virginia:

"Since the election, everyone’s in a panic,"

"They didn’t announce it officially, but the rumour is that they were going to raise the excise tax on it to 500 per cent. It’s 11 [per cent] now and that puts it out in the market for $US400 [$550] a box. It would go up to $US2000 if the excise goes up to 500 per cent."

"Everybody’s buying it right now, probably because of politics, because they think gun laws are going to change,"

"The numbers I have seen suggest that 17 per cent of gun owners in America will defend their right to own guns with their lives," he tells me. In order to do that, they have to be able to shoot them. They are stocking up now so that if the legislation changes or there is a shortage, "they will have everything they need"

Another one of them passed specific commentary on Australia, saying sales are booming because:

"we don’t want it to happen here like your government screwed up your country taking your guns and freedom away from you".

Yes, don’t we all know that guns are the symbol of freedom.  No guns = no freedom, according to a lot of these paranoid ultra-conservative Americans.  The whole attitude just amazes me.  Do these guys still think they’re living on the wild west frontier or something a century and a half ago?

I am quite happy that we don’t have the gun culture in Australia, despite the efforts of some on the right wing fringe of politics (One Nation in Queensland, the Shooters Party in NSW, et al) to import it.  Does anyone in Australia have any real concern for their safety at the hands of armed nutcases/criminals?  I’d say the answer to that is overwhelmingly no, unless you’re an active participant in outlaw motorcycle gangs, Lebanese crime gangs, Chinese triads and the like.

I can grudgingly accept that farmers need rifles and shotguns for pest control.  I can even accept people like shooting at a gun range.  Fair enough – I’d suggest that their guns should be kept under lock and key at the range where they shoot.  However, I can see no valid reason why people own assault rifles capable of firing hundreds of rounds a minute, and use high impact military ammunition which is designed for one purpose, which is killing people.  What, are they worried about an uprising of heavily armed killer super-deer or super-rabbits?  Having such weapons in the community is just stupid, stupid, stupid!!!!

Be Sociable, Share!

•