[wally246]

ABC News:
Ammunition Shortage Squeezes Police

By ESTES THOMPSON Associated Press Writer
Aug 17, 2007 (AP) (4 pages, visit link.)


Troops training for and fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are firing more than 1 billion bullets a year, contributing to ammunition shortages hitting police departments nationwide and preventing some officers from training with the weapons they carry on patrol.

An Associated Press review of dozens of police and sheriff's departments found that many are struggling with delays of as long as a year for both handgun and rifle ammunition. And the shortages are resulting in prices as much as double what departments were paying just a year ago.
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"There were warehouses full of it. Now, that isn't the case," said Al Aden, police chief in Pierre, S.D.

Departments in all parts of the country reported delays or reductions in training and, in at least one case, a proposal to use paint-ball guns in firing drills as a way to conserve real ammo.

Forgoing proper, repetitive weapons training comes with a price on the streets, police say, in diminished accuracy, quickness on the draw and basic decision-making skills.

"You are not going to be as sharp or as good, especially if an emergency situation comes up," said Sgt. James MacGillis, range master for the Milwaukee police. "The better-trained officer is the one that is less likely to use force."

The pinch is blamed on a skyrocketing demand for ammunition that followed the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, driven by the training needs of a military at war, and, ironically, police departments raising their own practice regiments following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The increasingly voracious demand for copper and lead overseas, especially in China, has also been a factor.

The military is in no danger of running out because it gets the overwhelming majority of its ammunition from a dedicated plant outside Kansas City. But police are at the mercy of commercial manufacturers.

None of the departments surveyed by the AP said they had pulled guns off the street, and many departments reported no problems buying ammunition. But others told the AP they face higher prices and months-long delays.

In Oklahoma City, for example, officers cannot qualify with AR-15 rifles because the department does not have enough .223-caliber ammunition a round similar to that fired by the military's M-16 and M4 rifles. Last fall, an ammunition shortage forced the department to cancel qualification courses for several different guns.

[kellyhound]

Try rubber bullets instead of copper bullets.

[Worrymon]

The criminals know how to make their own bullets. Why can't the cops learn?

[Baldy]

..there is no need for the cops in my country to use weapons like this WTF ?

[Worrymon]

Originally Posted by Baldy ↗

Attachment 12768

..there is no need for the cops in my country to use weapons like this WTF ?

In 2002, I was working in the Empire State Building and the cops were carrying M16s. I'll tell you, they made me more nervous than any thoughts of terrorists.

[Baldy]

Originally Posted by Worrymon ↗

In 2002, I was working in the Empire State Building and the cops were carrying M16s. I'll tell you, they made me more nervous than any thoughts of terrorists.

..it was the same thing 2002 when we passed the border at calais (maine) to new brunswick ,the us custums where carrying m16 and steel helmets like in a fucking war-zone LOL while the canadian customs where dressed like usual ( and frendly like usual too )