Guns and Ammo
Keeping ammo in stock these days is a challenge, says Ardell Filler. Photo by Kootenai Valley Record.
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Gun control worries lead to booming sales
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
March 19, 2009
Concerns about the potential for new gun control measures under the Obama administration are contributing to booming sales of semiautomatic firearms, ammunition and reloading supplies, and local businesses are having a hard time keeping many in-demand items in stock.
"There’s definitely been a run on ammo and anything to do with reloading," said Gary Halvorson at Libby Sports Center, noting that demand started to climb a few months before last November’s election.
Libby Sports owner Ardell Filler said his business was fortunate to have stocked up in advance, "but when it’s gone there’s nothing you can do. We can’t get any more."
"It’s really hit and miss on replacing any of this," Halvorson added.
Distributors all over the country are having a hard time filling orders, Filler said.
"Any ammo is hard to get," he said. "It doesn’t matter what it is. Even .38 Specials are hard to get."
At Mac’s Market, Darrell Orr said he’s been seeing the same thing.
"We had a real wipeout on powders for reloading, and we were finally able to get some in, but we’ve had orders in for primers for forever and we can’t get any more," he said.
Semiautomatic firearms like AR-15s – likely to be the target of new gun control measures – are also getting hard to come by.
"Those things went right away after the election, and we haven’t been able to get any in," Orr said.
"We’ve got a lot of people getting in line for those," Halvorson echoed.
Halvorson added that he hopes the marketplace is "sending a message to our government."
"They’ve got to be seeing these numbers," he said.
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Editor’s Note: See the March 17, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, now on Tuesday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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