# Nebraska Boy Scouts Say They Need Donations of Ammunition **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573 "2013-03-21T21:14:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/1 "2013-03-21T21:14:33Z")
Interesting side effect of the gun control panic, don’t you think? [http://www.ketv.com/news/local-news/Nebraska-Boy-Scouts-say-they-need-more-ammunition/-/9674510/19412460/-/2qa8rjz/-/index.html](http://www.ketv.com/news/local-news/Nebraska-Boy-Scouts-say-they-need-more-ammunition/-/9674510/19412460/-/2qa8rjz/-/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/2 "2013-03-21T21:26:52Z")
We’ve been seeing that side effect since 2008, when the Wrong lost their shit over “Obama’s coming for our guns!” Face it, Obama’s been a boon to the gun and ammo industries in this country. Product has been flying off the shelves, and there have been shortages of ammo for the last couple of years (at least in the more popular calibres.) ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/3 "2013-03-21T21:29:40Z")
I didn’t even know there was a shortage until recently really. My dad’s suddenly gotten back into guns and shit and has been complaining about how difficult it is to find ammo. Both he and my mom are convinced that this is how the ‘government’ is going to control guns. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/4 "2013-03-21T22:17:23Z")
Yes, the current situation is crazy. Who’d have thought the day would come when there’d be shortages of .22LR? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/5 "2013-03-21T22:39:59Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > Yes, the current situation is crazy. Who’d have thought the day would come when there’d be shortages of .22LR? no shit. I mean, that’s probably the second least likely caliber to be proposed for ban. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/6 "2013-03-21T23:30:31Z")
What would be the first, .22 Short? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/7 "2013-03-21T23:49:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > What would be the first, .22 Short? yarp. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/8 "2013-03-22T00:53:27Z")
Homeland Security has been buying ammo at an incredible rate for several years. What for is anyone’s guess. > **[1.6 Billion Rounds Of Ammo For Homeland Security? It's Time For A National...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2013/03/11/1-6-billion-rounds-of-ammo-for-homeland-security-its-time-for-a-national-conversation/)** > > It's time for President Obama to practice what he preaches. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/9 "2013-03-22T03:54:44Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > no shit. I mean, that’s probably the second least likely caliber to be proposed for ban. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw shortages of BBs next. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/10 "2013-03-22T04:23:45Z")
There isn’t so much of a “shortage” as there is a “lack of supply.” Yes, I know that’s what the definition of a “shortage” is, but it’s not like this ammo is being expended. People aren’t _shooting_ it, they’re _hoarding_ it. We have enough for our drive-bys and cop excesses, just not enough for those who think the Commies are about to invade. ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/11 "2013-03-22T05:02:41Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Homeland Security has been buying ammo at an incredible rate for several years. What for is anyone’s guess. > > [1.6 Billion Rounds Of Ammo For Homeland Security? It's Time For A National Conversation](http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2013/03/11/1-6-billion-rounds-of-ammo-for-homeland-security-its-time-for-a-national-conversation/) A quick google search would tell you that both politifact and snopes deem this as “mostly false”. Yeah, HS buys ammo, but not in that quanitity. And your point is? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/12 "2013-03-22T05:18:24Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Homeland Security has been buying ammo at an incredible rate for several years. What for is anyone’s guess. > > [1.6 Billion Rounds Of Ammo For Homeland Security? It's Time For A National Conversation](http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2013/03/11/1-6-billion-rounds-of-ammo-for-homeland-security-its-time-for-a-national-conversation/) My guess would be for securing the homeland. I don’t know how many uniformed law enforcement officers DHS oversees, but my guess is that 1.6 billion rounds works out to a couple thousand per officer, which is about what you’d expect them to go through on basic firearms training and practice. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/13 "2013-03-22T22:33:33Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > There isn’t so much of a “shortage” as there is a “lack of supply.” Yes, I know that’s what the definition of a “shortage” is, but it’s not like this ammo is being expended. People aren’t _shooting_ it, they’re _hoarding_ it. Most of the folks who are hording it are doing so because they anticipate shooting it in the future. It’s similar to a bank run: initially the people going to the bank to withdraw all their money are the hysterical ninny types, but as more and more people make huge withdrawals and the possibility of the bank not being able to cover its depositors increases, the saner people also figure they’d better get their money out now if they want to be sure they have it later. It’s the same thing now with ammo: as the store shelves become increasingly bare, the idea of stocking up in order to have enough on hand to allow you to continue to shoot regularly until the shortage works itself out becomes more appealing. The end result: empty shelves in the stores, and all for no logical reason. But that’s how humans think. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/14 "2013-03-22T23:00:14Z")
Those of us who are smart (for any given value thereof) stocked up _years_ ago. My department chair and used to laugh a news reports of someone with “4000 rounds of ammunition in their home.” All that meant to us was that there had been a sale at [Turner’s](http://www.turners.com/). ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/15 "2013-03-23T00:12:38Z")
I bought four cases of 45acp last week, but I haven’t seen 9mm for sale for three or four months ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/16 "2013-03-23T00:47:56Z")
.380 is hard to find too. I keep hoping the factories increase production. This shortage is getting tiresome. I’ve cut back on target practice. too darn expensive right now. Remington has a plant just outside Little Rock. I’ve always wanted to drive out there and get a tour. Not sure if they offer them, but a tour would be fun. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/17 "2013-03-27T22:14:30Z")
Looks like it’s not just the Boy Scouts who may need ammo donations. [Police departments are running out, too](http://www.salon.com/2013/03/27/cops_are_running_out_of_bullets_thank_the_nra/). Color me surprised (not). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/18 "2013-03-28T00:18:37Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > I didn’t even know there was a shortage until recently really. My dad’s suddenly gotten back into guns and shit and has been complaining about how difficult it is to find ammo. Both he and my mom are convinced that this is how the ‘government’ is going to control guns. I know, right, what a conspiracy theory! The government would never, ever make a law that says there should be control of guns, and name it such. > [@jz78817](#): > > no shit. I mean, that’s probably the second least likely caliber to be proposed for ban. I think it goes like this: people try to buy .223. They’re out, but they want to shoot. They likely have an old .22 lying around so they buy a bunch of that instead, because nothing else is available. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/19 "2013-03-28T03:22:47Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I think it goes like this: people try to buy .223. They’re out, but they want to shoot. They likely have an old .22 lying around so they buy a bunch of that instead, because nothing else is available. I myself haven’t bought ammo in some time but I hear that for some reason .40 S&W seems to be available when nothing else is. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573/20 "2013-03-28T03:52:54Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I myself haven’t bought ammo in some time but I hear that for some reason .40 S&W seems to be available when nothing else is. The last time I went to one of the local sporting goods stores (which admittedly was a few weeks ago) .40 S&W (at least the FMJ target grade stuff) was in reasonable supply. The most abundant, though, was .38 Special - but since pretty much all handguns were sold out, you couldn’t find a revolver to shoot it, so unless you already owned one, you were out of luck. This situation is nuts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nebraska-boy-scouts-say-they-need-donations-of-ammunition/653573.md?page=2)