I work in Sporting Goods. I sell ammo. My reflection upon the change in ammo buying before and after President Obama.
I took a retail job to pay for college and to pay for gas and food. I'm about to finish college and I'm still paying for gas and food. It wasn't the ideal job, but I was down to around three hundred dollars and I needed money. My job is no tougher than any other in the retail industry; it was crap pay at the beginning and after four years it's a bit better. That's not why I'm writing. I'm writing about the facet of my job that deals with selling ammo.
I started my job in February 2008. Back then buying ammo wasn't that big a deal. Ammo sales were steady at my job, but nothing outlandish. We don't sell guns at my store, but that doesn't deter the fact that we carry substantial ammo stories, and we boy sell it. I remember the first few months of my job I wasn't really tracking buying patterns but was more concerned with making sure people were of age to buy whatever they needed and that they paid for it. Other than that the job was a job.
Things started to change as the fall of 2008 approached. People knew that President Obama was going to run for the Presidency and he was going to run against Sen. McCain. In addition they knew that then Gov. Palin was going to be the V.P. and many of my regular customers certainly were worried about the lackluster Republican ticket as well as the robust support for Obama. Coupled with the fact that it was a strong likelihood Congress was going to be completely Democratic in 2009, people started buying ammo in fear of any gun control legislation. Not just regular customers. I had many regular customers who I knew and wasn't too concerned about. I knew what they shot, how much they shot, the usual gun range they shot at. 99% of them I wasn't worried about. Some started getting more worried, but they were long time customers and I didn't think much if they bought an extra box or two. They were recreational shooters and that was cool. Whatever floats your boat.
But a new type of customer was beginning to appear as the election approached. I won't say it was a large percentage; maybe a new customer for every five of my core buyers. But these new customers were disconcerting. For one thing more than a few of them didn't know about their weapons. I'm serious. They bought their guns and didn't know what caliber it was. More than a few had to call their more knowledgeable friends and ask "What bullets do I need for that gun I bought?" That question worried me. It also worried me when people, both men and women, went directly to the source and pull their concealed weapon to see what caliber bullet they need. That really scared me on the several occasions it happened. I've never been robbed, but I've had a few heart flutters, especially the times when the clearly amateur gun owners aimed at my chest or leg. I asked security about the issue of concealed carry and was told all we can do is ask them to put the gun away. Clearly they never pointed their guns at me in anger and always complied when I asked them to put their weapons away; they just didn't know how to handle a firearm.
What this new customer class lacked in knowledge about their guns was offset by the certain knowledge that they wanted lots of ammo. And they often had many guns to feed. Some said they had five new guns, others had ten new guns. Others probably had more, but didn't want to say anything. Many just had one new gun, but there was one common thread. They all wanted ammo, and lots of it.
Customers began to buy serious amounts of ammo right after President Obama was elected in November 2008. Until the election the most ammo I ever sold to one person was probably 500 rounds of handgun ammo. I've sold more rounds of small caliber ammo (like .22) but those come in large quantities usually. But large caliber ammo, (like .45, .40, 9mm, .38, .357, etc), I began to sell in large quantities. I've sold five thousand rounds of ammo at one time to one customer, and he would have bought more if I'd had more. I've had numerous customers buy every round of a caliber that I have in stock, including the pricey "personal protection/hollow point" rounds. I've had groups of friends agree to split my inventory, each buying a couple thousand rounds so they can all have a share. I sold a lot of merchandise between November 2008 and March 2009.
By the Spring of 2009 we had major ammo shortages. The .45 caliber went first at my store, then all handgun ammo. After that even rifle ammo that rarely was sold outside of hunting season was in short supply. Customers began to arrive at the time ammo was stocked and buy everything that arrived before the ammo could be put on the shelf. At first we were instructed to sell everything we had; as long as the ammo got sold legally and we paid it didn't matter. After awhile a (unique to our) store limit of six boxes per customer was instituted. It made no difference. Guys would bring their wives, friends or age eligible children to buy for them. I saw through the charade but they were eligible for their six boxes so I sold.
Ammo stores depleted to the point we didn't have ammo stores. In 2008, before Obama, I might have had as much as 10,000 rounds (although 5-8k was the norm) of 9mm in the store, some on the shelf and some secured in storage. Rarely was I ever completely out of any type of ammo. Afterwards any ammo immediately went to the shelf or, more likely, directly into the hands of a customer. Worse, ammo shipments were smaller and less frequent. Before the election we might have gotten five cases (ten boxes per case) of ammo. After the election, as ammo sales increased, supply dwindled and all sporting goods stores received less. While customer demand had increased exponentially, supply were the same, so the gun companies did the natural thing: they charged extra. Shelf price increased in correlation (as well as by the increased cost of shipping and materials).
All of this fed an insane amount of paranoia at the counter. Every person was worried about gun control. I'm a Democrat as well as someone interested in gun rights, so I not only knew there was hardly a murmur about gun control but I was apt to defend Obama. At first anyway. It got tiring hearing the political vitriol and the many conspiracy theories about Obama. I could recount dozens of stories, but I won't. I remember most the fear and sense of urgency many of those people had. They had to stockpile ammo. Had to stockpile before the government outlawed guns. Had to get as much ammo as they could before prices got too high. Had to be prepared. Prepared for what? Well the Communists and government seizure of guns and numerous other things. I worried about my job; they worried about the freedom of armament.
In addition I heard more than a few tales about investment in gold. A few who I knew really well gave me tales about their "bug out" places. Not actual location, but how much stock and supplies they had so they could ride out "when the crap hit the fan". They also had their guns and ammo. When I dared ask just exactly how many guns and rounds they had some would tell me. A lot would just get that smile people get when they have a very good secret. The highest number of rounds I ever heard was 55,000 but I suspect more.
Others were very secretive and would only pay in cash because they didn't want purchased tied to their credit or debit scores. A couple of young men of uncertain age (you have to be 21 to buy handgun ammo in my state so I usually ID people I think are under 35 to be safe) refused to give me their licenses even though I explained to them I was only certifying their age. They said they'd go elsewhere to get their bullets. One man refused to input his social security number when buying a fishing license even though the government that issues fishing licenses also issued the guy's SSN#. Paranoia about government control was something I saw at least on a weekly basis.
"What bullets?" I wondered. Keep in mind the paranoia of late 2008 into 2009. The recession was in full swing. People were losing jobs and a black man was President. People were stocking up on ammo. Around Spring 2009 (March-April) it became apparent we were headed for major ammo shortages. Once the shelves emptied, they basically remained empty until around 2011. For eighteen months our shelves stayed pretty bare. Despite the economic downturn people were still buying ammo. Between the ammo and the customers, I had a good hard look at the right wing.
Most of my customers were proudly Republican. Certainly I have my fair share of liberals who like to pop off a few rounds, but they usually shook their heads about right-wing fears and were just mad at the customers who were hoarding ammo. I was mad at the ammo hoarders too; especially the ones unwittingly stirred up much of the panic by buying ammo they didn't intend to shoot as well as buying guns they often were not familiar with. I certainly was afraid for anyone who might be delivering pizzas late at night; paranoia was high and ringing the bell at 102 Oak instead of 106 might have ended badly.
When the tea party came along the tea party ideals came right along when my customers came to buy their ammo (or to check if ammo was in stock). The racism against President Obama was raw and overt. Not every customer was a racist, not half, not a quarter. But an alarming number were fearful of a black President, and I certainly understood the Birther movement when it came. These people were afraid, they had unresolved racial tension that was surfacing, and they were fueled by the ammo shortage (not to mention right wing pundits whose talking points came from their mouths almost verbatim). In that atmosphere I was genuinely afraid for the President's and Congress members lives. I never heard any actual threats towards the President or a Congressperson (I live in a Red State anyway with largely Republican Congressional representation anyway), but the look in a person's eye is often says more than any words.
Like all moments of tension, things finally have begun to settle down. We still sell tons of ammo and I expect it to ratchet up as the 2012 election approaches, but the tension and paranoia has weakened. Many of my customers still hate Obama; they make that very clear but at least they can come in and buy ammo.
My regular customers, many of whom I didn't see for months because they were so frustrated they couldn't get a box of bullets for the weekend, have begun to finally be regular customers again. They were the real victims in my opinion of the whole shortage (relatively speaking I know in light of actual gun violence such as the attack on Rep. Gabby Giffords and other people). Just regular men and women who just wanted to fire fifty rounds after work couldn't for a very long time. I guess those paranoid people who had never owned guns before currently have enough ammo in their closets to last the apocalypse, because huge ammo purchases have largely stopped.
As we approach the 2012 election...we'll see what happens. If Obama is elected I predict the same reaction as I saw in the winter of 2008-09. If you are a recreational gun shooter, stock up now I guess.