If you’re looking for ammo, you’re not alone; local police have also been impacted by the shortage

PITTSBURGH — If you’re looking for ammo, you’re not alone. Local police departments are running low too.

Channel 11 News spoke with a local manufacturer and found out why there’s a problem making bullets right now.

Master Ammo Company in Rochester supplies bullets to local police departments stores, gun ranges, and shooting facilities across our area. The owner said they don’t have what they need to produce more ammo.

“Our biggest problem is getting one of the key components in manufacturing ammunition and that is primers,” said Sam Piccinini, the owner of Master Ammo Company.

Piccinini said they can’t get their hands on primers because of the supply chain issues and it’s causing an ammo shortage which is now impacting local gun shops.

“There’s nothing we can do. We are selling the guns without ammo,” said Bryon Barker, the manager of John Brown’s Armory.

Deer season is right around the corner and the manager at John Brown’s Armory said it’s been possible to find common hunting ammo, but once they do find it, it’s triple the price.

“It used to cost $20 for a box of 20 rounds, now it’s like $50,” said Barker.

The shortage is also affecting the men and women who protect us. Local police departments said they are conserving ammo because of the backlog.

“We just ordered some ammunition a couple months ago and they told me it would be a year out until we saw more ammunition,” said Rob Turyan, a range master and firearms instructor at Beaver Borough police department.

Fortunately, this is not affecting officers’ daily jobs. Beaver Borough police said they have enough back supply. Plus, orders from last year coming in now. They are just not using as many rounds during training yet still meeting training qualifications.

“We use a low round count training so they still get their reps in but we are not using up much of our ammunition in case it takes a while to get it in,” said Turyan.

One concern about any shortage is that people will stockpile.

ATF shared information about the dangers of stockpiling ammunition.

ATF said ammunition should be stored in a dry, cool place and preferably secured in a locked area

Ammo is recommended to be kept in the manufacturer’s original container, so the ammunition is easily identifiable.

If there is an abundance of ammunition, it is best to have a placard displayed outside the storage area indicating there is explosive material inside.

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