For several months, gun and ammunition stores across the nation have struggled with a supply shortage that has hurt business and made life difficult for gun owners.
Fortunately, however, store owners in Dothan say the shortage is mostly over and it is safe for hunters and other gun enthusiasts to buy their weapons and bullets of choice.
“It’s actually picking up a little bit and (ammunition) is getting a little easier to get,” said Ross Fuller, a salesman for Southern Outdoor Sports. “There are still certain ones (that are in short supply), but most of it's been pretty easy to find. We’ve got just about every caliber in right now.”
Po Boys Guns and Ammo owner Ron Bass is thankful for the pick-up in business, because it’s been much needed.
“It’s starting to loosen up some now from what it was, but it was difficult for a while,” he said. “It’s always a problem when you can’t get a particular caliber, because if someone wants to buy a gun and you don't have the ammo, you can’t sell the gun. When there’s not any in town, and the customer can’t get any anywhere, it’s tough to sell any guns.”
Additionally, with the shortage of supplies came an increase in prices.
“We had an increase across the board of 15 to 17 percent on the price of ammunition,” said Sonny South, owner of Outpost Guns and Ammo.
Bass pointed to consumers buying in bulk as the cause of the national shortage.
“To be honest, most of it was people hoarding it up, people buying outrageous amounts of it,” Bass said. “You’d get some in, and the first guy in would buy every bit you had. Part of it, also, was the manufacturers couldn't keep up with every caliber or gauge of shotgun shell the way it was selling. Even now, some calibers you cant get because they’re not gonna shut their assembly line down.”
According to South, the hoarding was related to fear among gun owners.
“When it tightened up was just before (President) Obama was elected, and it drove the sale of ammo and guns up,” he said. “People were afraid things would get banned and it would be hard to find (ammunition). I believe that's why people were buying in quantities that were diminishing the supply of available ammo.”
Now, though, the storeowners agree things are getting back to normal and consumers should feel confident when buying a gun about the ability to acquire the proper ammunition.
“They’re gradually coming back over, a little bit every week, and we're able to get a little more now than we were,” Bass said.
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