Dave, for what it's worth, here is the way I see it. I am a firm beleiver in buying ammo or components on a regular basis, even if I do not have an immediate need. Hopefully that makes me a stocker and not a hoarder. With a little luck, I should be able to weather this shortage. So:
1. Do not panic and start buying everything at once.
2. There is a war on. If I have to shoot a little less to help support the troops, so be it.
3. There are lots of new domestic security agencies, armed sky marshalls, etc. that should practice more than I do.
4. Winchester recently shifted production of 22 ammo to a new plant and they are having problems getting the bugs out.
5. Foreign ammo producers have never heard of enviromental controls. Controling lead emissions in China is not a big deal. It is here in the states. It might be easier to open a new oil refinery than a new small arms plant.
6. If you don't reload, learn how.
7. Use reduced loads for practice in centerfires. Get that 22 that matches your centerfires and use it.
8. Pray for the good people of New York. They need all the help they can get.

I just want to say having gone to a gun show in West Virginia a few years ago, I found myself in a room full of the most disgusting people in my experience. It was the closest I had come face to face with the Klan, the Aryan Nations, and most ubiquitous of all, unreconstructed Neo-Confederates. There were so many nitwits in their camo outfits, bandoleers, shaved heads, creepy tattoos and lack of front teeth that it was obvious to me they should have gun shows with dental conventions in the same building at the same time.

The friend who dragged me there was after a Streetsweeper. So off we went through the crowd, many of whom carried assault weapons over their shoulders and handguns in hand with price tags dangling from them, selling to anyone with cash no questions asked. The crowd at the Streetsweeper booth was large, after all, what could be more gunfun than a semi automatic shotgun that fires a dozen 12 gauge shells through a big rolling drum as fast as you can pull the trigger? Big-Big-gun-gun fun-fun!

My pal, a wannabe bounty hunter who looked the part, had no trouble finding full automatic switch kits, and even someone selling silencers. There was also more hate Clinton, Schumer, Brady and Liberals bumper stickers than at a GOP convention. More than anything, these shows are meeting places for the most violent contingent of the extreme Right-wing and gang culture in this country.

To be fair, I must say that most of the big busy booths were run by sporting goods manufacturers and their local distributors. They make enough money day to day selling their guns and ammo that they could easily stop pandering to these Right-wing extremists and pull out of gun shows all together.

As a military member currently serving in Iraq I can say that our folks are using a lot of ammo. We are also showing great results. It's a price to pay to be sure, but the results on the ground here are amazing. We are getting bad guys every day.
Thanks for everyones support. We also see that here every day. I hope the price of ammo goes down before I get back, but if not please save a few boxes for me.

It's a false increase in demand to raise the price. Oil companies started this Billion dollar profit war and now every company wants a piece of it.

The Chinese are using the lead to add to their paint for the cheaply made toys that are shipped to the U.S. to potentially poison our kids and grandkids.

But the toys are cheap to buy @ Walmart!!!!

shooting is getting too expensive for me. I love to shoot my 44 mag, but i just can't afford to keep shooting it.

Dave, our police depts. here in Nebraska don't seem to have any shortage of ammo or reloading supplies. I know an officer, here in my home town, and they reload their ammo for most of their practice at the range , except, for the dept issued ammo that they qualify with. Guess the ammo shortage is an area thing instead of nation wide.

It's not a big problem yet.the cost of everything is up.Don't panic.

Got a buddy of mine in Fort Worth who owns The Perfect Shot. He's had a diffucult time finding bullets and brass for at least a year. He loads a bunch of .223 (about 20,000 rounds a month), and has started purchasing bullets from Hornady(SST)due to the lack availibility from other manufactureres. Prices for ammo will most assuredly rise.

Rumor has it that the Chinese are getting everything they can get their hands on.

Why would NYPD go and try to limit the number of rounds fired by police? If you are a cop, and the bad guy is firing at you, it's your job to do whatever it takes to stop him. Because who knows how many others could be wounded or killed. So what happens when the officer reaches the limit of allowable shots? The perpetrator is still firing! What do you do, throw your keys at him? It just don't make any sense.

And kudos to all the troops, too!!

The one factor I have not seen mentioned is- the loss of MANUFACTURING CAPACITY. In previous wars whole industries were converted to assist in the production of military goods. Today those factories have moved off shore. NAFTA and other government regs. have stripped our country of our ability to produce manufactured goods. We have not perserved our basic industries and we will pay for it in the future. However I cannot believe that there is anyone in DC who will change their politically correct stance to bring back the base manufacturing we need to defend ourselves. Bombs soften the territory up but it is ground troops that secure the territory. They need ammo and other manufactured supplies we no longer have the capability to produce.
DON"T EVER VOTE FOR AN INCUMBENT. they got us where we are and don't care

Mark-1, Not every gun show in the nation is like the one you went to. I have only been to 2 or 3 but my experience was quite different but maybe that is becuase I am from Indiana, the greatest state in the union.