EDMOND —
John Hoffman Jr. was shooting a .22-caliber Magnum at the Heartland Outdoors range. He comes to the north Edmond range about once a week. When it comes to buying more ammunition at area retailers, pickin’s have been pretty slim lately, he said.
Cleo Land, a retired Edmond Police officer who works in sales for Heartland Outdoors, said the store would love to sell more ammunition but is at the mercy of manufacturers and distributors. Firearms also have been in high demand.
A variety of issues have combined to continue strong demand for ammunition in the U.S. They include the results of the presidential election, rumors about the federal government stockpiling bullets, issues raised by mass shootings like the tragedy at an elementary school in Connecticut, apocalypse preppers and political rhetoric about gun control.
Land said after the mass shooting in Connecticut, Heartland Outdoors’ business spiked. The company did about a year’s worth of business in firearms including pistols, AR 15s and ammunition in a couple of months, Land said.
Supplies are still somewhat diminished and it likely will take some time to get back to normal levels, Land said. Meanwhile, he urged current customers and future customers who continue to come in at higher-than-usual levels to be patient.
Hall said initially supplies diminished at H&H Shooting Sports. Product is still coming in but not at a high enough pace to meet customer demand, he said. Manufacturers are doing all they can to keep up, Hall said. He was not sure when supply will meet demand again.
Hall said in recent years there have been three “waves,” periods of increased customer traffic. The first two were in 1989 and 2010. The third began in August 2011, when customers wanted to protect their families and shoot recreationally. Since the shooting at Sandyhook Elementary, this wave of demand has dwarfed the other two and remains intense, Hall said.
Customer transactions continue to be more than double the normal rate, Hall said.
Ken McNair, executive director of the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association, which maintains an Edmond office, said the ammunition shortage is making it harder for sheriffs who need to train for recertification.
Edmond resident Miles Hall, owner of H&H Shooting Sports at 400 S. Vermont Ave. in Oklahoma City, said he could sell more ammunition if it were available.
Jenny Monroe, spokeswoman for the Edmond Police Department, said there have been no issues to this point in obtaining enough ammunition for the agency’s needs. It is supplied by GT Distributors, Monroe said.
In January, CNNMoney reported Walmart was limiting ammunition sales to three boxes per customer per day.
“Right now we’re monitoring supply issues daily, since supply is limited at this time,” Walmart spokeswoman Ashley Hardie told CNN. “We’re trying to take care of as many customers as possible and we’re working with suppliers to put products back on shelves.”
In February, President Barack Obama delivered the annual State of the Union address to Congress. After speaking about issues including the economy, deficit reduction, health care costs, reforming the tax code, job creation and education the president turned to the topic of gun control.
Senators in both parties are working on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns to resale to criminals, Obama said. Obama mentioned the string of recent shootings including those in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., and said victims’ families deserve a vote.
In his response to the president’s speech, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said a year ago he began to warn America’s gun owners that if re-elected the president would begin dismantling the Second Amendment.
“It’s not about keeping our kids safe at school,” LaPierre said. “That wasn’t even mentioned in the president’s speech. They only care about their decades-old gun control agenda — ban every gun they can, tax every gun sold and register every gun owner.”
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108
Local News
Related Photos
-
MARK SCHLACHTENHAUFEN | THE EDMOND SUN John Hoffman Jr. fires his .22-caliber Magnum pistol at the shooting range at Heartland Outdoors, 1444 N. Kelly Ave. Gun range officials say ammunition remains hard to come by in Oklahoma.
Discussion
Ammo still scarce 3 months after Sandyhook
- Local News
-
-
Catholic leaders mark Fortnight for Freedom
Local Catholic leaders are calling for believers to join an interfaith prayer campaign promoting renewed respect for life, traditional marriage and religious liberty.
On the eve of a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding same sex marriage, and the Aug. 1 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate, which forces employers to pay for contraceptive services despite their religious and moral objections, U.S. bishops called for the second annual Fortnight for Freedom June 21-July 4. -
AAA: Hands-free texting more distracting than talking
If you own a newer car or smartphone you are likely aware that speech-to-text technology exists.
The 2013 Ford Focus ST has technology that will read incoming texts from a connected phone and translate commonly used abbreviations. You also can respond with a set of up to 15 preset outgoing messages. -
Fence agreement nets commission approval for senior housing plan
A good-faith fence line agreement brought the Edmond Planning Commission to recommend approval for the final plat of Mon Abri. This week’s vote was 4-0.
Developer Ron Walters plans to build a group of duplexes and “fiveplexes” for senior citizens. Mon Abri is proposed to be on 87 acres of property on the east side of Broadway, south of Covell Road, said Bob Schiermeyer, city planner. -
Arcadia Lake reopens today
All four public access parks at Arcadia Lake reopened this morning at 6 o’clock. The parks have been closed since June 3 due to flooding from heavy rainfall and the ensuing runoff.
-
Company shoots video footage in downtown Edmond
If you were driving in downtown Edmond mid-day Tuesday you might have seen what looked like a film crew at work on a street corner.
-
Covell/I-35 work on track
The hotel and conference center project on Interstate 35 is very much on track, said John Weeman of Partners In Development told The Edmond Sun on Tuesday. Weeman is in the process of selecting one of three people for a construction partner, he said.
-
2 officers suffer injuries in drug-related pursuit
Two police officers suffered injuries during a call in which suspects fled in a vehicle and possessed meth, police said.
-
City Council approves church remodel
A request by Redeemed Christian Church of God Kingdom Chapel to remodel a facility at 307 E. Danforth for a church was approved recently by the City Council.
“The church wants to rent a 2,302-square-foot space in the office building on the north side of Danforth, east of the convenience store, south of the Timber Ridge Addition,” said Bob Schiermeyer, city planner. “There will be no new construction other than interior remodeling to accommodate the church.
The church does not request changes to the one driveway or sidewalk of the property, Schiermeyer said. No changes will be made to the outside of the two-story brick veneer building. A sprinkler system will not be required. -
Arcadia Lake nears reopening for summer season
Work on reclaiming Arcadia Lake has been ongoing since high water forced its closure earlier this month.
-
Professor: Constitutional heritage can bring sense of belonging to U.S. citizens
Education is fundamental in preparing a citizenry to live under a free constitutional republic, said Kyle Harper, founding director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage at the University of Oklahoma. Harper is also the senior vice provost at OU as well as an associate professor of Classics and Letters.
A sense of identity by belonging to a tradition is an ingredient in being part of a free republic, he said while speaking to the Edmond Republican Women’s Club on Monday. An educated citizen must be aware, alert and intelligent to care about public affairs, he said. - More Local News Headlines
-
Paula Deen Admits to Using N Word
Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone
Men's Wearhouse Founder Fired
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Miss Utah Explains Rambling Response
Exclusive: Locklear & Seymour Lock Lips
Miami Heat Wins in Overtime
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl
Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash
Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention
Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor
Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach
Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane
Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
