Where Did All the Ammo Go?

            For those of us who shoot, and even those who were hoping to buy a gun, you have probably noticed the recent severe shortage of guns and ammunition. So where has all the ammo gone? And even more importantly, when will it be back?

           

            I took the liberty of talking to my gun shop owner friend again to find out the answers to these very questions and this is what I’ve learned:

            Towards the end of the year, like any other business does, gun and ammunition manufacturers allow their on-hand inventory to drop in anticipation of tax season. Since a full count of everything in the warehouse has to be counted and cataloged, it is easier and much more practical to sell it without putting a rush on making replacements. Given the outcome of the election, there was a run on customers buying guns on the retail side, which caused an already anemic supply to dip even further.  The larger problem then occurred immediately after the unfortunate events in Newton, CT in December. There are those in the country who are calling for a “ban on assault weapons,” and then there are those of us who understand that assault weapons were banned in 1934, and fully automatic guns are still illegal for average citizens.

           

            Resupply takes time; maybe even a long time. The machines that make bullets are set up to make a specific size round. The company makes, for example, 200,000 rounds of .22 LR bullets. These are boxed up, and shipped out to the lucky stores who are at the top of the list. The machine is then refitted to make .45’s, and so forth. With the industry only being able to produce x amount of a given size bullet at a time, hopefully you can see where the bottleneck in the process is. The manufacture of guns and magazines are a similar story. Believe me, they are working as fast as they can while keeping an eye on safety and quality.  

            The best advice I can offer if you have guns and ammo is to be selective about the quantity of rounds you shoot for target practice. Personally, my range time has decreased significantly, but I do try to shoot 10 to 20 rounds every other week or so. If you have very few bullets for a particular gun, save them until you have more bullets in hand. I cannot tell you how many rounds you should have stored since that would be like my saying that you should have a certain amount of money in your bank account. The given number of rounds you want to keep in personal stock should be a number you are comfortable with. Then get more, just in case; we are preppers after all. Store rounds in every size you have a working gun for; hopefully that’s just common sense. And if you are in the market for a gun, look at the CURRENT AVAILIBILITY of ammo before making your purchase. It is much better to have ammo to shoot than it is to have to throw your gun at someone for self-protection. Rocks are cheaper and serve that purpose very well.

            Call local gun dealers and ask when they get their deliveries on a typical day, then be there in person with cash in hand when the delivery comes in. Gun dealers are not mystical people with crystal balls and they cannot tell you the future. They honestly have very little idea of what will be in a given shipment on a specific day, so being there as a non-obnoxious observer when they open the box and start restocking the shelves is a good idea. Having the money to pay for your prized find is another benefit. With demand being so high of late, very few dealers will hold your gun, ammo, or magazine unless you are a very good, and frequent customer, and maybe not even then.

            Lastly, be patient. Those of us who have guns already should not need to be in such a hurry to by another one, simply because you have room in the safe. Buying it to resell to your neighbor for a profit is something you’ll have to answer to God over. Some of the sheep are starting to pay attention, and that means they are potential fellow preppers who could bring good things to you and your group. Help them and offer advice, share my advice with them, and hopefully we will get through the next 4 with our guns and ammo still on our shelves.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Prepping!! 

Stopping the Flow: Planning a Trauma Kit

            In any emergency situation, having a well-stocked trauma kit can literally save your life. But having the supplies is only the beginning of the solution. For example, how are you going to be effective with a bag valve mask if you have never used one? You may elect to spend several hundred dollars on a trauma kit that includes IV supplies and fluids, have you ever started an IV? What fluids do you run, and how much do you give? Yes, you can accidentally kill someone if you water-down their blood by giving too much fluids.

            I hope that you have some sort of basic first aid supplies at this point, and I will add my list to the bottom of this post, but I want to stress that you need to make the time investment to learning how and when to use your equipment. Take a class, then practice your skills as often as you practice target shooting your rifle. (If you are still shooting, with the ammo shortage being what it is.) I will always recommend taking an EMT class and becoming a volunteer at your local department as a great method not only to get the training, but to practice your skills. As a basic EMT in the United States, you will not use IV’s and many other more advanced skills, but the experience is wonderful and you will also gain great practice in handling emergencies calmly.

I have been lucky enough to progress in my EMT training through the different levels to paramedic and have made a career of it. I no longer get nervous during emergencies, or around loud, unexpected noises. This lack of jumpiness carries over into my everyday life and is a huge plus on the gun range with someone yelling at you to shoot a specific target that is “running toward you.”

Some items that I stock in my BOB:

Bandaids – do not go for the cheapest ones here, try out a bunch of different ones and chose the one you like the best.

Tweezers

Saline flushes – 3 of them. Great for emergency eyewash, and rinsing contacts in a pinch

Tourniquet – I only recommend using this IF you know when and how, and proper removal technique

Tape

Gauze bandages

Gauze dressings – dressings should be sterile, bandages do not have to be

IV needle – I use this one to remove splinters

Trauma sheers

Plastic baggies

Gloves

N95 mask – fitted for me

Prepackaged cake icing in a tube – for low blood sugar but ONLY if the person can swallow

For my home stock I add more of everything above and the following:

Bag Valve Mask – google this if you’re unsure what it is; they can save your life.

Entire IV kit with different size needles and fluids

Airway management supplies

Suture kits

Surgical soap

This list is not meant to be exhaustive, only a basic guide for some of the things you may want to consider. Remember that amassing the stuff is rarely the problem, being able to use it however, can present a problem. Start small and build your kit as you go, but learn how to use new additions in concert with the items you already have. There is rarely a second chance in medical emergencies, and knowledge of how to handle an emergency is often better than having every medical doo-dad at your fingertips.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Prepping!