2024 has been a year marked by increasing tensions both domestically and abroad. Geopolitical scuffles and supply chain disruptions still lingering from the COVID-19 shutdowns of 2020-2021 are negatively affecting the United States ammunition industry.
Fredy Riehl, the editor-in-chief of AmmoLand News, argues that these developments could potentially create a gunpowder shortage in the US, posing an unprecedented threat to ammunition supplies in the civilian and military sectors.
Riehl called attention to the recent trials and tribulations of Alliant Powder, a prominent producer of reloading powders such as Bullseye and Unique. He highlighted that in May 2024, Alliant Powders halted shipments of its smokeless powders. This was no random development. High-profile military conflicts such as the Russo-Ukrainian War have created the conditions for disruptions in the American ammo sector. In this instance, the conflict in Ukraine has hamstrung the production of nitrocellulose, a critical ingredient in gunpowder.
Alliant placed a priority on fulfilling its military contracts, thereby reallocating all nitrocellulose towards ammunition production for military purposes. As a response, civilian reloaders have been desperately looking for alternatives that may not perform as well as the powders they routinely use.
To make matters worse, in August 2024, the government of China enacted a new regulation on the export of nitrocellulose and antimony, two key inputs to produce ammunition. Antimony is a critical component for hardening lead bullets, while nitrocellulose is used in propellants. These two components play a vital role in keeping the America’s ammo sector afloat. The new change by China’s communist government has made many firearms insiders worried that the defense sector could be staring down the barrel of widespread shortages because of the country’s unhealthy reliance on China for the importation of these two materials.
In light of these developments, ammunition experts such as John Farnam believe that widespread ammunition shortages are right around the corner. He has advised gun owners to stock up on ammunition and ammo reloading material as soon as possible.
Indeed, we’re entering an era of unprecedented instability both domestically and internationally. Many of the things we have taken for granted, such as the provision of basic supplies ranging from food to ammunition may not be readily available due to supply chain shocks and other disruptions abroad.
More importantly, this precarious state of ammo supplies will be exploited by gun controllers, who will try to impose measures that will further exacerbate ammo supply issues. Advocates of gun control try to attack the Second Amendment in every way possible. The regulation of ammo is one attack vector they will pursue in order to ensure that law-abiding gun owners aren’t able to exercise their right to bear arms.
For that reason, the Second Amendment community needs to be paying attention to the entire economic and political environment surrounding us. Things are getting chaotic, which can lead to unexpected encroachments on American civil liberties. Now is not the time for gun owners to bury their heads in the sand.
