According to NBC Washington
A surge in new gun purchases has triggered a shortage of ammunition, raising concern among local police departments.
Several Washington, D.C.-area police departments said they have noticed a dwindling supply of bullets being sold by manufacturers and distributors, which could eventually create problems for agencies which buy ammunition for officer training and certification.
The ammunition shortage also creates hurdles and headaches for private gun shops and owners, some of whom report skyrocketing prices.
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“I talk to police departments everywhere — from federal, state and local departments — daily. They are struggling to find ammunition to even qualify the officers,” said Curt Sebastian, co-owner of SSG Tactical gun shop in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Sebastian said the shortage has quadrupled the price of some ammunition and drained his supply of others.
“There will come a point, if things keep going the way they’re going, when I don’t have enough inventory to be open six days a week,” he said.
Sebastian said a box of ammo that traditionally sells for $9 to $14 now costs about $50.
FBI records reviewed by the News4 I-Team show a spike in new gun purchase background checks. The number of people applying for a firearms background check jumped by almost 1 million each month since the beginning of the pandemic. The wave of new buyers has drained the ammunition supply, Sebastian said. He said 85% of his customers have been first-time gun owners. Add those new gun owners to people who also stocked up in the past year due to the civil unrest, the election and the transition of power in DC and you have the perfect storm for a shortage, according to Sebastian.