According to Lake City, the rumor is FALSE, they have not stopped manufacturing or selling ammunition for the commercial market.
November 01, 2023
By David M. Fortier, Executive Editor
If you heard the rumor that Lake City Army Ammunition plant has stopped manufacturing and selling commercial ammunition to focus on military sales, you’ve been duped. Yes, the rumor is false and Lake City Army Ammunition Plant put it to rest yesterday when they posted onto their Social media, “Joint Munitions Command has not changed its policy regarding commercial production at Lake City. Lake City has not cancelled commercial contracts.” So, you can ease back on your panic buying and loosen that tinfoil regarding at least THIS conspiracy theory.
If you have been a firearm owner for any length of time you are probably aware of the cycles the industry goes through. There will be times when certain firearms and ammunition are scarce with prices high and times when the shelves are packed and prices are low. What typically ignites a buying frenzy which pushes prices up and supply down is a “panic” of some sort. It could be a political threat to gun rights or a perceived social threat to peace and safety, or both. Sometimes the threat is real, sometimes not and occasionally it is helped along by people in the industry to promote sales and higher prices.
In this case, the rumor is false. Lake City has NOT been ordered to stop production of commercial ammunition. Lake City has NOT canceled their commercial contracts or stopped sales. Why are prices on certain calibers suddenly up? Because people are panic buying and there’s money to be made. If you look back prior to the attack on Israel and the Lake City rumor, prices on firearms and ammunition were down and warehouses were full. Sales had not only slowed but were becoming stagnant in the firearms industry. The attack on Israel and the Lake City rumor quickly changed this and people had their credit cards out buying, just in case. In short order prices began climbing again. My advice, buy when the prices are low, not during a panic when they are high. Also, do not believe every rumor you hear. Believe it or not, the sky has not fallen. Are things bad around the world? Sure, but we do not need to feed the fire by getting caught up in false rumors which only sow panic.
About the Author David M. Fortier has been covering firearms, ammunition and optics since 1998. He is a recipient of the Carl Zeiss Outdoor Writer of the Year award and his writing has been recognized by the Civil Rights organization JPFO. In 2007, he covered the war in Iraq as an embedded journalist. He has written extensively on opposing forces small arms, ammunition and optics and has traveled through Russia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. His writing has been translated into both Russian and Mandarin. He was a regular on the Outdoor Sportsman Group’s network television from 2003 to 2020. He is currently the Editor of the Outdoor Sportsman Group prepping title Be Ready! magazine, as well as the Executive Editor of Firearms News. Prior to 1998, he was in the Aerospace and Defense industry.
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