Officer.com reports that long lead times are causing law enforcement agencies nationwide difficulties in receiving their ammunition orders.
The website said a popular causative factor, even with fuel prices, is to pin “it” on the war. While the war in Iraq does have its effect on almost everything from gas prices to law enforcement employment, it cannot be held solely responsible for all the nation’s woes.
Other issues affecting the industry include a rise in domestic-based demand for ammunition, an increased foreign demand of base metals and the daunting task set to the manufacturers to catch-up to the combined demand of the war and law enforcement.
Ammo prices for many popular guns have more than tripled in the last three years, driven in large part by surging demand for metals in rapidly industrializing China.
As the Asian giant becomes wealthier, millions of tons of copper, lead and zinc, which are also used to make bullets and brass shell-casings, are being snapped up.
Shooters, gun dealers and sheriffs say the impact has been further aggravated by competition for limited ammo stocks with the U.S. military, currently fighting wars on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
High ammo prices are being shouldered by millions of target shooters and hunters across the United States, many of them working people on a limited budget.
To keep costs low, many hobby shooters are now scouring gun shows, gun shops and the Internet in search of cheap ammunition, which some then buy in bulk and hoard against further price rises.
