HANCOCK COUNTY — Practice makes perfect, but unfortunately some police departments around the state and nation are suffering from a lack of ammunition making every second on the target range even more critical. There is a nationwide shortage of ammo including the kind used for training. The decrease in supply has not only caused some local departments to be a little more aware of the rounds they’re firing off during target practice, but the cost of ammunition has also increased, straining some budgets.
Just last week officials with the Brownstown Police Department informed their council 1,000 rounds of ammunition had jumped from $300 to $700 over the past several months.
“The issues surrounding the ammunition supplies are being felt throughout the nation,” Maj. Robert Campbell of the Sheriff’s Department said.
While officials with the Sheriff’s Department were prepared prior to the shortage of ammunition, they’ve still been are affected by the market demand. They, like other law enforcement agencies in the area, are experiencing a waiting period when it comes to ordering and actually getting ammo, which could be several months longer than in the past, all while they continue to make purchases for the future.
“Our firearms instructors are tasked to keep our supplies adequate and pre-plan for the future and they do an excellent job,” Campbell said. “We have made slight modifications in the quantity of rounds used in training, ensuring the supplies remain available.”
Officials with the Greenfield Police Department said they saw the shortage of ammunition coming and stocked up last year in anticipation of this exact scenario.
“We do have more on order with a 9-12 month lead time,” Capt. Chuck McMichael, public information officer said.
He noted the suppliers they use have been keeping them updated on stock and lead times so they have been able to prepare. It means officers at the GPD are planning to train as normal this year.
“We will be doing things a little differently, but not due to a shortage,” Michael said.
They will be using a new training tool this year, hopefully as soon as May, where they will be going to Evolution VR (virtual reality) training who have developed Law Enforcement training scenarios they will be able to use.
“This type of training will put officers in real life scenarios that they will have to react to as if it were real,” McMichael said. “The technology puts the officers into situations we commonly deal with to practice and strengthen their de-escalation skills.”
They will have control over how the situation will resolve depending on the officers verbal commands and ability to de-escalate, if possible. The Evolution VR will allow them to run multiple types of scenarios without having to utilize role players and keeps the cost of training munitions and overtime down.
“This will be the first time we have used VR technology for training and we hope it will be as valuable as we expect,” McMichael said.
Several of their training officers have gone thru some of the scenarios and were impressed at how immersive it is.
“Any way you turn or look, you are still in the situation where things may be happening behind you that you have to be aware of,” McMichael said. “It actually gets your heart rate up.”
In addition to causing some concerns for police departments, citizens who like to take regular target practice are also feeling the squeeze when it comes to having enough ammunition.
Shane Highsmith, owner Highsmith Guns, 123 N. State St. Greenfield said his customers are feeling the effects of high demand for ammo too.
“It’s been really tough getting ammo at least pushing into a full year,” Highsmith said. “I’d say for the past year to eight months ammo has been the hottest item.”
Officials at Highsmith get their ammunition from distributors who purchase form manufactures who have now allocated where the ammo is going meaning a business like Highsmith Guns can’t even call up their distributor, put in an order and get something within a few weeks like they used to.
“They don’t take orders anymore, it’s a they call you and let you know how much is available if you want it,” Highsmith said. “They’ve pretty much restricted the supply chain for retail stores.”
Highsmith attributes the high demand for ammunition to more gun owners in the market.
“There is a huge surge of new gun owners, people who maybe have been on the fence about buying one have finally decided now is the time to get one for whatever reason,” Highsmith said.
County stats from the Sheriff’s office for residents who live in Hancock County (rural areas that are outside of any city or town jurisdiction) show some 384 people purchased gun permits in 2019. The number increased to 1,004 in 2020 and is already at 386 so far after three and a half months in 2021.
McCordsville Chief of Police Paul Casey said he considers their stock of ammunition to be at a normal range and said they have enough ammo on hand to operate and train as they normally do.
“Any changes to our training program would actually be to increase training, not decrease or remove training,” Casey said.
Casey noted their ammo costs have increased, but said the cost depends on ammo types and amounts. He said some agencies have indoor ranges and those rounds are generally more expensive. He said they’re paying about $600 per 1,000 rounds for regular practice ammo but duty ammo and green ammo (for indoor ranges) for sure could cost higher.
According to the Americanrifleman.org, the ammunition shortage can be traced back to the spring of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. The shortage has since intensified under an unprecedented chain of cultural phenomena. Many gun owners feel the only way to ensure they have ammo when they need it is to buy in bigger-than-normal quantities, and the result is hoarding and a shortage.
The website went onto quote Jason Hornady, vice president of Hornady Manufacturing, who flatly stated when it comes to hoarding-induced shortages, “ammunition is the new toilet paper.”
That’s a statement Highsmith seconded.
“If I let someone buy as much ammo as they wanted, they’d buy as much as they can afford,” Highsmith said. “It’s kind of like human nature, when you can’t have something when there is opportunity, you want it and you want it all like toilet paper.”
Highsmith also noted production levels have been much lower than normal because of COVID-19, but with things opening back up more, he and others hope that includes the production of ammunition.
