Skyrocketing gun sales trigger US ammo shortage

[Graybeard]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/gun-sales-cause-ammo-fly-off-shelves

By Jonathan Garber               FOXBusiness

Ammunition sales continue to shoot up
Vista Outdoor stock is up after a surge in ammunition sales. FOX Business’ Lauren Simonetti with more.

More and more Americans are buying firearms for the first time this year. Loading them is a different story.

“Some of the frustration we’ve frankly heard from some of the new users is that they bought a firearm, they can’t find any ammunition, because it’s in short supply,” Vista Outdoor Inc. CEO Christopher Metz said on the company’s quarterly earnings call on Thursday.


The spike in gun sales follows a wave of civil unrest after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in police custody, as well as an increase in outdoor recreation amid COVID-19 lockdowns. Firearms enthusiasts are also prepping for the possibility of stricter regulations should former Vice President Joe Biden ride a blue wave to an election victory in November.

Gun sales surged 135% year-over-year in July to about 2 million and have already matched all of last year, according to a report released earlier this week by research consultancy Small Arms Analytics and Forecasting. Sales were up 145% in June, 80% in May and 71% in April.

THIS YEAR'S GUN SALES HAVE ALREADY OUTPACED 2019'S TOTAL

Ammo sales, however, typically take “multiple months to catch up” to gun sales, according to Metz, which could lead to even tighter supplies in the months ahead.

Sales of ammunition at Vista Outdoor, based in Anoka, Minnesota, rose 22 percent year-over-year during the most recent quarter, which ended in June. The maker of outdoor recreation equipment kept that business after selling its Savage Arms and Stevens firearms brands in 2019.

Ticker   Security                          Last         Change   Change %

VSTO   VISTA OUTDOOR INC          21.00         +2.75           +15.10%

[mcbammer]

    Tell me about it , my  purchase has been laying up in the LGS for 4 days waiting on  the  b-ground check .

[Argent 88]

Those liberals are now coming right out and telling us they will be coming for our guns. Biden even has a gun
confiscation Czar he's picked out. 

[Argent 88]

    Tell me about it , my  purchase has been laying up in the LGS for 4 days waiting on  the  b-ground check .

I thought that after so many days they can sell it anyway.

[mcbammer]

    Tell me about it , my  purchase has been laying up in the LGS for 4 days waiting on  the  b-ground check .

I thought that after so many days they can sell it anyway.

  Not sure what you mean but the FFL  person would be in deep crap if he let the firearm transfer   thru without a clear background check .   The LGS was not the seller  just the  FFL  shipping destination . First time it ever took me  more than a  hour  to get cleared .

[Argent 88]

    Tell me about it , my  purchase has been laying up in the LGS for 4 days waiting on  the  b-ground check .

I thought that after so many days they can sell it anyway.

  Not sure what you mean but the FFL  person would be in deep crap if he let the firearm transfer   thru without a clear background check .   The LGS was not the seller  just the  FFL  shipping destination . First time it ever took me  more than a  hour  to get cleared .

Our LGS told me that without a decline it could be sold anyway, after so many days.  I went through that during
Christmas. 

[Graybeard]

Fed rule is if it hasn't been declined in 3 days it can be turned over to buyer. Some states might have different rules and I'm sure some stores do also.

[Argent 88]

Fed rule is if it hasn't been declined in 3 days it can be turned over to buyer. Some states might have different rules and I'm sure some stores do also.

I forgot how many days they said, mine was only held up for one day pending due to the high volume of sales.
So I didn't pay much attention to it.

[oldandslow]

I have purchased two guns in the last three weeks and it took longer for me to fill out the form than it did for approval on each. No, I'm not panic buying, I just ran across a couple of guns that I wanted.

[mcbammer]

I have purchased two guns in the last three weeks and it took longer for me to fill out the form than it did for approval on each. No, I'm not panic buying, I just ran across a couple of guns that I wanted.

  Question   , For you , did the FFL   call in your infromation or file it on-line ?    Mine filed it on-line an got a delayed message back . This was not the usual FFL  holder I use. He only charges 20 bucks to make a transfer  vs 50  that the other one charges .