newstalk1290.com
March 23, 2013

The photo above was taken outside our local Academy Sports store just a couple of days ago. This scene is played out at thousands of retailers all across America every day. But why? How and why is this happening? Is this just a function of a public panic over threatened gun control action? A recent Rasmussen poll says 65 percent of Americans see the Second Amendment as protection against tyranny.

There’s been lots of speculation over the last several months about ammo shortages. Consumers are frustrated with long lines and the lack of availability. The most common calibers are increasingly difficult to find. 9mm, .223 cal., 5.56 NATO, .40, cal. and .45 cal. have all but dried up. Prices are up 100 to 200 percent over just two years ago. I recently stood in line for over an hour and a half to purchase the last two 20 round boxes of .45 at a local retailer. I paid just under $30 per box. Two years ago, the same rounds would have cost just over $15, even less online.

Many have pointed to the outrageous quantities of ammo being sought by the Department of Homeland Security. According to a recent article by Breitbart.com columnist Awr Hawkins, the DHS has ordered some 1.9 billion rounds of 9 mm. Last summer, The Blaze reported the Social Security Administration had requested over 174,000 rounds of ammo. Even the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made substantial purchases in recent months for their Office of Law Enforcement. Who the heck knew NOAA had (or needs) a law enforcement office?