[Colorado] Ammo hard to find:
Gun shops across the country are reporting a run on ammunition, a phenomenon apparently driven by fear that the Obama administration will increase taxes on bullets or enact new gun-control measures.
The run on ammo has left many gun stores' shelves sparse. Some stores have imposed limits on buying.
"In the last two months it's gotten very, very difficult to find ammunition," says Richard Taylor, manager of The Firing Line, a gun shop and shooting range in the Denver, Colorado, suburbs.
"There are a lot of rumors floating around that the present government would like to increase taxes on ammunition. I think [there is] just a lot of panicked buying going on."
While campaigning for the White House, Obama supported re-enacting the now-expired ban on assault weapons. But there is no indication that the administration will take up that measure -- or any other gun-control initiative --anytime soon.
Nonetheless, some gun owners aren't taking any chances.
Two weeks ago, The Firing Line was forced to impose a four-box-per-customer limit on ammo. Before that, the shop was selling 10,000 rounds of 9 mm handgun ammunition a day.
Some calibers of ammunition have been unavailable for months.
"Currently no .380 ammunition -- I haven't seen any for about four months ... .38 special, it's been at least a couple of months," Taylor says. "It's just that there's been a huge demand and it's far outweighed supply right now." ...
[California] Ammo is short supply:
Ammunition is in short supply at area gun stores, and even some law enforcement agencies are having a hard time getting what they need for training.
And the biggest reason, some local gun dealers say, is fear.
They attribute the shortage to panic buying because of legislation being considered in Sacramento and Washington that would affect ammunition sales and manufacturing. They also point to the demand for bullets by U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Sheriff’s deputies are required to requalify with their firearms quarterly. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office recently ordered 200,000 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition — about a six-month supply — for about $41,000.
Longtime Fresno gun dealer Bill Mayfield said he has trouble finding the most popular handgun calibers, such as 9 mm, .40 caliber, .45 caliber and .38 caliber. In fact, his supply of .380-caliber handgun ammunition was so low that Mayfield recently bought three boxes from a customer who said he didn't need them.
The demand, Mayfield said, has caused manufacturers to start rationing ammunition to retailers. And gun enthusiasts who assemble -- or reload -- their own ammunition are having difficulty, too. Primers, a key reloading component, are hard to find in gun stores and on the Internet. ...
[Ohio] Need for protection prompts new gun purchases:
... However, a significant portion of those sales are going to new gun owners, people who previously hadn't given much thought to owning a gun. The continuing decline of the economy leads not only to fears that desperation will cause crime levels to increase, but also to a decrease in police protection from financially strapped cities and towns.
Take Toledo, for example... a town whose politicians and media outlets have long railed against gun rights. Friday, the latest layoffs saw 75 police officers lose their jobs, with the possibility of more on the way. More and more people are starting to realize what many gun owners have known for years, that you're most likely have nobody to rely on but yourself if faced with a violent criminal hell bent on taking what you own. It is for that reason that gun shops like Toledo area Clelands are reporting not only an increase in sales of guns and ammunition, but that more people are taking training classes as well. ...
[Utah] State can't keep up with concealed carry permit applications:
SALT LAKE CITY -- Concealed firearm permits are a hot item in Utah these days. So much so, that the state agency in charge of issuing those permits is behind to the point of technically breaking the law.
State law says concealed firearm permits have to be issued within 60 days. It's taking at least 70 days right now.
Since November, more people have become interested in exercising their right to carry a concealed weapon and the number of applications has skyrocketed.
Along with the increase in concealed permit applications at the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification, local gun shops are noticing increasing demand for weapons, ammunition and safety training.
That interest is swamping the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI). This month, the agency is adding six full-time employees just to process gun permits.
An avalanche of applications is overwhelming them. "We're doing the best that we can with the staff that we have available, and we just don't seem to be able to catch up," said Utah BCI Chief Janet Erickson. ...
[Wisconsin] Olofson conviction upheld:
What a federal agent did during a testing procedure to result in "automatic" fire from an AR-15 has no bearing on the case of a man convicted of transferring a "machinegun" after he loaned to a prospective buyer the gun he considered a semi-automatic rifle, according to a ruling from a panel of appellate judges.
The ruling has come in the case of David Olofson, a Wisconsin man sent to prison for 30 months after a semi-automatic rifle he loaned to a prospective buyer unleashed several bursts of multiple rounds and then jammed.
His defense team had explained the case is about nothing more than a malfunctioning gun, and there was evidence to support that. But according to judges Daniel Manion, Michael Kanne and Virginia Kendall of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals the weapon is a machinegun, and government information about the tests that determined that are not pertinent.
Constitutional lawyer Herb Titus, who argued at the appellate level on behalf of Olofson, said the government's case was simple: "Olofson's malfunctioning semi-automatic rifle functioned as a machine gun because it fired more than one shot at the single pull of a trigger."
However, Titus contended the government's position is contrary to fact, established law and precedent. ...
[Oregon] House OKs permit privacy bill:
Concealed handgun licenses would be exempt from Oregon's public records law under a bill passed Monday by the Oregon House, making it much more difficult to find out who is getting the permits.
Citing privacy and safety concerns, lawmakers said people who apply for and receive permits to carry a concealed weapon should be assured that their names, addresses and other personal information won't be made public.
"It's about protecting the rights of the good guys," said Rep. Chris Edwards, D-Eugene, one of 54 House members who voted in favor of the exemption. "This is not about protecting the rights of punks, of hooligans, or meth tweakers."
Under current law, concealed handgun licenses, like all state licenses, are considered public information. Sheriffs in some counties, however, have balked at releasing the records, usually after a request by a newspaper. ...
[Arizona] Venue asks state to suspend liquor license to allow visitors to (lawfully) carry during NRA convention:
Phoenix Convention Center officials asked the state to temporarily suspend part of its liquor license so that gun enthusiasts can tote weapons at next week's National Rifle Association convention.
The NRA will start its three-day national convention in Phoenix on May 15. The event is expected to draw as many as 50,000 people.
In Arizona, people can't carry weapons where alcohol is served. If the center did not suspend its license, gun owners would not be able to bring weapons into the convention center complex. NRA plans to hold a gun expo in the convention center's 300,000-square-foot lower level. ...
[Arizona] Guns in parking lots bill under consideration:
A bill being considered by Arizona legislators is seen as pitting gun owners' Second Amendment rights against the private property rights of businesses and others.
Backed by the National Rifle Association, the bill would permit gun owners to keep legally owned weapons in their locked, privately owned vehicles while they're parked in parking lots, garages or other parking areas of private property where the owner has a policy against allowing guns on the property.
The Republican lawmaker sponsoring the bill (HB2474) said it is intended to overturn bans that deprive employees and others of their Second Amendment rights. ...
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