(19FORTYFIVE) – From 2008 until 2016, there was a shortage of civilian small arms ammunition. It began in late 2008 and continued through nearly all of 2010, and then began again in 2012. Almost all popular calibers including 9mm, 7.62mm, and .45 caliber were impacted – and it impacted the once cheaply priced .22 LR as sport shooters turned to the smaller caliber weapons.
It doesn't take a serious study to note that the ammo shortage began with the election of President Barack Obama, who was often noted to be "the greatest gun salesmen" in the history of the United States. Fears of different types of firearm bans or limitations led to impulse buying of firearms and with it an increase in consumers stocking up on ammunition.
Now with President-elect Joe Biden about to take office, the United States is once again in the midst of a serious ammo shortage, but it isn't just driven by fears that Biden will institute an all-out assault on the Second Amendment. A not-so-surprising side effect of the 2020 global novel coronavirus pandemic has been that firearm sales reached record levels throughout last year, and as the New Year arrived it showed little if any signs of slowing down.
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