Major American Company Warns Shortages Will Continue!

Smith & Wesson Brands CEO Mark Smith said that the ammunition inventories that were depleted during the pandemic are showing no sign of improving.

“It’s widely known the ammunition shortages continue.” – Smith & Wesson CEO Mark Smith.

Gun sales rose last year after the death of George Floyd that triggered riots and random attacks on innocent civilians. Rising crime in urban cities like New York City also contributed to the rise in gun purchases for protection.
Firearms enthusiasts also stocked up to prepare for the possibility of stricter gun regulations during the Biden administration.

The unprecedented demand for firearms has made it difficult for manufacturers to keep ammunition on store shelves.

Smith & Wesson said it shipped nearly 2.5 million units last year, up 70% from 2020.

And the strong demand continues in 2021.

NICS background checks have climbed 6.8% year over year to almost 1.63 million through the first five months of 2021. Last year they soared 40% to a record 39.695 million.

Background checks are indicative of sales trends but don’t translate directly to sales. For example, customers can purchase multiple firearms at once and only be the subject of one background check.

A survey of 1,800 customers conducted in April by market research firm Southwick Associates found three-quarters of respondents encountered out-of-stock issues when trying to purchase ammunition. That was down slightly from the four in five customers who faced the problem in 2020.

This is why it’s concerning that ammunition is still hard to find. A gun isn’t much use without the ammo unless a gun owner makes their bullets. The process of making your ammo aka reloading was reported last May by Field & Stream: How To Get Started Reloading Today.

A tutorial from Field & Stream on reloading is a great resource and as the article says:

Having piles of ammo for every firearm in your gun safe is good, whether the world is falling apart or not. It’s nice to not have to count shots at the range. It’s nice to take a ho-hum rifle and load test it into a tack driver. Plus, if the world does descend into a Cormac McCarthy-like dystopia, we’ll probably start using ammunition for money. And wouldn’t it be nice if you could print your own?

A recent YouTube tutorial on the pros and cons of buying vs. reloading is released.

According to the President of Southwick Associates, Rob Southwick “Frenzied purchasing and empty shelves often fuel further demand increases. We do not see demand softening shortly,” as he explains why he expects the demand to continue.

And other conspiracy theorists believe that the government is involved.