The Great Ammunition Shortage of 2020

Above, Cabela's in Albuquerque had plenty of ammo. But that was last year. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I bought my Winchester 94 last year, I also bought a couple of boxes of .30-30 ammunition for it. Three months later, I stopped in Cabela's in Albuquerque and bought some more there. I also bought some 9mm ammunition as well.

Then came the ammunition shortage. Some dealers are out of ammunition. Some shooting enthusiasts are finding ammunition, but they have been marked up in price. Ammo that normally sells for $15-20/box now sells for double those amounts at least.

When I was in Lake Havasu City at the end of October, a gun show was being held at the time and I managed to find a dealer selling 9mm ammo for $20/box. So I bought some more.

So, right now, I am in good shape in my ammunition supply. I also have plenty of boxes of .22LR ammo.

According to Frontier Justice, the shortage is being caused by several factors:

What is causing this supply chain shortage?

There are many factors contributing to this shortage-

• COVID-19: The corona virus pandemic seemed to be when this shortage began. This is multi-layered.
• -First, people all over the country “stocked up” once a potential lockdown was announced. Much like toilet paper, people bought large quantities of guns and ammo very quickly. This eliminated available supply at distribution and at manufacturers. Once the distributors ran out, most of them placed several multi-million dollar purchase orders with manufacturers which put the manufacturers in a bind. Large dealers and big box locations also placed large purchase orders with these manufacturers which strained the supply chain almost overnight. 
• -Second, COVID-19 restrictions at manufacturing facilities drastically reduced the number of employees supplying materials such as gun powder, casings, primers, bullets, etc. This has occurred in the United States as well as overseas. 
• -Third, COVID-19 restrictions at the ports slowed the supply of materials such as gun powder. A shortage in primers also started around this time. Currently, primers seem to be the most difficult to get.
• -Fourth, another domino-effect of the DMV’s being closed is that freight companies cannot get their driver’s certified with their commercial driver’s licenses they need. A shortage in freight company employees is further slowing the supply chain.
• Rioting: Nationwide riots are causing more and more people to purchase firearms and ammo. Many new first time gun owners are buying. Current gun owners are buying more. There were a record number 10.3 million NICS transactions the first half of 2020. Remember- not all states require a NICS check if you have a CCW, and a single NICS check can be for the purchase of multiple firearms. NSSF states that most retailers claim their firearm sales are up 96% and ammo sales are up 139% year over year. The supply is gone.
• Defunding of the police: Increase in first-time gun buyers.
• Election year: Historically, there is a spike in gun sales every four years. This year is no different.

To read more, go here.