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High-Priced Bullets Shoot Holes in Gunslingers’ Wallets
Rising metal prices and increased demand have driven up the cost of ammunition and caused headaches for gun owners and law enforcement.
30-Second Summary
Ammunition dealers have reported that the cost of ammunition has doubled or even tripled over the past two years.
The rising prices are caused by a combination of industrialization in China, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and an increased domestic demand.
Chinese industrialization has created a rise in the demand for metals such as brass, copper and lead, which are used to make bullets and shell casings. The U.S. military is using more ammunition for its foreign combat actions, leading to a smaller domestic supply. And demand among domestic law enforcement has increased due to larger enrollments and stricter training guidelines after September 11.
As a result, there is less ammo available, longer waits to get it and higher prices to pay.
There are signs that metal prices may be heading downward, but prices remain much higher than normal and will continue to cause problems for gun owners while creating a profitable scrap metal market.
The rising prices are caused by a combination of industrialization in China, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and an increased domestic demand.
Chinese industrialization has created a rise in the demand for metals such as brass, copper and lead, which are used to make bullets and shell casings. The U.S. military is using more ammunition for its foreign combat actions, leading to a smaller domestic supply. And demand among domestic law enforcement has increased due to larger enrollments and stricter training guidelines after September 11.
As a result, there is less ammo available, longer waits to get it and higher prices to pay.
There are signs that metal prices may be heading downward, but prices remain much higher than normal and will continue to cause problems for gun owners while creating a profitable scrap metal market.
Headline Links: Ammo costs rise
As Chinese industrialization drives the price of metals up and foreign wars drive American ammo supplies down, the price of ammunition has skyrocketed. The rising ammo costs have affected all gun owners, including hunters and police officers. Many gun owners have switched to cheaper ammunition, begun reloading shells or started buying in bulk. Some have begun hoarding bullets, which has only exacerbated the problem. “Everybody is feeling it,” says grizzled gunslinger Bob Krueger, who then joked, “If things get bad enough, we may all just get one bullet each.”
Source: MSNBC
Newspapers nationwide began reporting on rising ammunition prices last summer. Ammo dealers talked of customers buying large quantities of the cheapest ammunition; “It doesn’t matter if it’s 50 cents or $3, whatever’s cheapest gets bought up quick,” said one store owner. Some gun owners had resorted to hand loading—the process of building their own ammo—but even the price of necessary supplies had increased.
Source: The Monitor
Stricter training programs instituted after September 11 have increased the demand for ammunition. The price increases has created long waits for ammunition and strained the budgets of law enforcement agencies. Police departments have had to strictly monitor the amount of ammunition used during training, and some have even considered decreasing their training or using simulation rounds. But Sgt. James MacGillis of the Milwaukee Police Department recommends that departments “bite the bullet” and spend large amounts to ensure proper training. “The better-trained officer is the one that is less likely to use force,” he says, which will save lives and save the department money in the long run.
Source: Officer.com
Background: Rising metal prices
Even as the economy slowed, the price of copper and other metals rose due to Chinese demand. China consumes 22.7 percent of the world’s copper, up from 12.8 percent in 2000. “The world will need copper, as the underdeveloped places in the world, including China and India, develop,” said Freeport Copper CEO Richard Adkerson.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Recently, the price of cooper has slumped slightly amidst a two-month high of stockpiles and concerns that Chinese demand is declining. The price of zinc and lead, both of which are used in ammunition, has also declined.
Source: Bloomberg
Related Topics: Other effects of higher metal prices
Earlier this month the House of Representatives passed a bill that would add more steel to pennies and nickels to offset the higher copper and nickel prices.
Source: findingDulcinea
The scrap metal business has been booming. “It has been a real active market because the price of scrap has doubled since November,” says Michael Wilson of the Automotive Recyclers Association, “There’s been a sort of gold rush.”
Source: Duluth News Tribune
With such a profitable scrap metal industry, there has been a rise in scrap metal thieves. Many thieves have raided foreclosed homes for their pipes, which have become so valuable that they’re sometimes worth more than the home itself.
Source: findingDulcinea
Last summer, American beer companies reported that kegs were being stolen and sold as scrap metal.
Source: International Herald Tribune
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