Bass_Pro

As many of the free states have begun to see ammo and guns return to the shelves, I fully expected the same for my state. Obviously all this talk about false flags and impending doom were just malarkey, right? Over the weekend we decided to hit the local Bass Pro Shop here in the central valley of California. All things considered, I figured I’d go and drool over all the things I would love to receive as a gift, or start stashing away cash for a future purchase. To my amazement it looks like the hoarding and lack of inventory is still in full swing here in the Golden State. If you were a duck hunter or skeet shooter you have no problems. Shotgun shells were in abundance. If, however, you have a center/rim fire rifle or a handgun, fuggedaboudit . . .

Ammo_Shelf

Clearly you can see the shelves were rather empty for handgun ammo, and the same can be said for center-fire rifle ammo. Even 22 LR was like a virgin on prom night. Just a giant gaping hole. 223, and 5.56 didn’t even have a place on the shelf anymore, and there was no bulk ammo to be found. It was a pretty sad sight as we gathered around and pondered our options. Customers were quietly talking on their cell phones. The whispers were about how there was nothing there, where should we try next. And I can’t believe this, I thought things were getting better. It appears things have either remained the same or or have gotten worse. But it only gets worse form here.

display_case

This picture is what startled me the most, my jaw actually made a thud on the display case. There are another two display cases that look just like this one. Not a pistol to be found, even revolvers were gone.

There are a number of things in play here in California. First, the shortage of pistols of every make and model is due in large part to our Attorney General Kamala Harris who singed that little micro stamping deal into law. This means no more new models will be introduced to California gun owners in the near future, as the number of shops that implement microstamping in their guns can be counted using the remaining boxes of ammunition on these shelves.Actually, on second thought, that’s too many boxes.

Let’s also throw in the fact that our Gun Zone Radio folks who went to SHOT show in Las Vegas were told by a GLOCK executive that California can FOAD. Actually I think the exact words were along the lines of “California can go F**k themselves, and we will never again introduce a new pistol to that state”. I get the feeling that many other manufacturers carry the same sentiment although they might not have been so eloquent about it.

Next up we have all the new gun control bills, which range anywhere from safe storage, extra taxes or some other form of registration, and licensing rules. People are running scared (straight to their local gun store) because despite our attempt to educate and bring everyone up to speed on the new laws, the fear, uncertainty and doubt about the impact of these new restrictions on gun owners is overwhelming. So semi automatic handguns have been drying up faster than a water puddle on a North Texas highway in July.

Behind the counter there were plenty of long guns. Of course anything that might be construed as tactical was not there, but there were shotguns and even a few lever action rifles from Henry (which is on my wish list already). Bolt action hunting rifles could also be had, but many had sold tags on them, so folks are getting ready for the up coming hunting season. A hop over to my favorite family run local gun shop saw much of the same.

I think what is most disconcerting to me is the fact that we are watching our supplies and access to firearms dwindle. There is nothing we can do about it other than shake our heads, and talk about moving to the free United States. If any of the current legislative bills pass which outlaw semi automatic centerfire, and / or rimfire rifles, we will be reduced to double barrel Joe’s weapon of choice.

While the Second Amendment Foundation and CalGuns Foundation have filed suit over the safe handgun list, I think we can say with certainty that our rights to keep and bear arms here in California is under attack. It is most obvious by looking at the recently added, and removed list on the California Department of Justice website. The added list includes nothing past the implementation date of the micro stamping law, and is not even one page in length. The removal list is twenty eight pages long. My heart sank at the fact that those of us here in California haven’t been able to get any breaks on what the rest of America is feeling. I can only hope that someday, we will be able to hop on over to our local gun shop and actually pick up a box of ammo.

We can all dream can’t we?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

89 COMMENTS

  1. And to think the very first guns I ever bought was in California, when in the Navy. Another reason I’ll never live there again.

    • Whoa, memory lane … When I lived in Berkeley [wow, that sounds strange now – it was just as the “People’s Park” riots were ending – 1969] I bought a nifty little BSA Martini Cadet (.310 cal) from a FLGS that was actually located in Berzerkeley – before it went down the progressive toilet. Paid $60 for the rifle, and an astounding sum of $15 for two boxes of original Kynoch .310 ammo. Still have rifle and most of the ammo – the .310 Cadet was what started me on reloading.

      Haven’t been back to the Frisco bay area since 1998 – bet there are no more local gun stores in Berkeley.

  2. interesting you note this. In the ammo space, if you’re willing to pay, there’s a decent amount in some metropolitan/suburban areas in the bay area. There’s also quite a few handguns and rifles of the AR type to be found too.

    • I’ll second this. There are some AR’s to be found in the Bay Area, especially up north west. There is even some 5.56 for 15$/box.

      Also, while I’m here, F*** the cockroaches in Sacramento that are pushing this garbage on us.

    • Hmm… here in Northern VA, supplies are low but at all 3 LGS I frequent have some of everything. I even found 5.7 X 28! It’s been unavailable since the last election. Now I have some to spare so my wife can practice with her PS90 and Five-seveN.

  4. “Even 22 LR was like a virgin on prom night. Just a giant gaping hole.” I started to laugh, but then threw up a little. That is the worst analogy EVER.

    • I actually had to go over the “virgin on prom night” line a couple times to make sure I actually read what I thought I had. Brilliantly executed.

  5. True that, Louis. I was born in California, family moved too Ohio when I was 3. We visited a few times and i loved the beaches and gorgeous weather. But as an adult, I say screw that.

    That government is hell bent on making gun ownership impossible. There are plenty of other states with beaches and nice weather.

  6. Unfortunately,California’s elected government is only the symptom.The problem rests with the sad fact that millions of Californians despise the US Constitution as a whole,including the 2A.

    Just yesterday a new video was released on YouTube showing a mock petition to repeal the entire constitution.Every Californian on the tape signed it without hesitation.That’s scarier then a tornado alert-even the host is shocked at the level of cultural hate to the Constitution.

  7. The weather is just as nice and the guns and ammo are plentiful in the gun shine state. Leave while you can. Florida welcomes all freedom loving Americans. No state income tax and you can carry concealed…bring your California money, it would be better spent here.

    • Just don’t bring your California political mindset with you. Grow a pair and become an AMERICAN!!!

      • @Lars: Compared to what? I like it here. I’ve been to many other cities, but Florida is home. Feel free to stay in whatever part of the country you’re from then. If like minded people want to live in a beautiful state and escape their socialist run craphole cities, I say they are welcome here. I believe most floridians would agree. Just sayin’…YMMV.

      • I’m with Lars on this one… Any population that willingly elects one of the Bush clan as governor should die of VD.

        • Well, since we’ve voted for two of them as President…

          Time for prophylactic antibiotics and anti-retrovirals?

        • Matt, is there some way I can put you on ignore so I never have to read any more of your opinions?

      • I guess CA, NJ, NY, IL, are all better??

        Oh yeah.. 22lr, 9mm, and 223 are in the shelves here. And we can have those “high-capacity clips” and “evil” rifle features…

  8. Minnesota and Wisconsin haven’t been to bad ammo wise, pistol ammo can still be hard to find but it can be found, and everything else is well stocked.

    • In WI and MN ammo is plentiful. I have people I’ve connected with over the ammo shortage the first half of this year calling and emailing me daily with ammo deals locally, I’ve stopped buying ammo I have so much now.
      The only thing I like better about WI than MN is I can open carry here without a permit. Freedom is awesome.

      • Yeah MN has some a few dumb gun laws, but still is very gun friendly. WI is just great for gun laws.

  9. I’m starting to see supplies grow in my state but the prices are still ridiculous. I went to the range today and asked for a box of .45 ACP. All they had was 100 packs of white box and were still asking $65 for it. I said no thanks.

  10. I’m hating my state more every day. don’t say leave, thats not an option in the next 5 years:( i love glocks comment to ca, i would say the same. what is this micro stamping deal?

    • If I understand it correctly, it has to do with engraving a unique number on the firing pin so that every shell is marked with your gun’s “ID”. Also, somewhere else on the firearm, this same “micro number” is engraved.

    • microstamping puts a unique identifier on the end of the firing pin and every time your firing pin hits a primer it “micro stamps” it. In theory as each spent case is ejected it is associated with the pistol that shot it. This will allow, in theory, law enforcement to better track and identify what gun was used at a crime. This might be useful if everyone had an open bolt gun made out of adamantium. In the real world it only makes guns more expensive for law abiding citizens.

  11. …the only place I can find ammo here in Kalifornia is on the InterWeb. I’ve been an ordering fiend the last 3 months playing catch-up. Should a particular proposed bill be signed into law, I won’t even be able to do that anymore. In fact, all ammo sales would required a licensed dealer and a $50 “permission slip” for me. Legally, a buddy couldn’t even pass me a few rounds at the range.

    I’m beginning to hate this state – but there’s no option to move……………yet.

    • Of course, there is still the option of driving to Reno. Or Arizona, Vegas, or Oregon, depending on where you live.

  12. California is a gun law waste land. Gun hating politicians can’t wait to prohibit Internet ammo sales, yet there is very little ammo available locally. The panic is real in the Feinstein state with a democrat super majority. I can’t say enough how much I despise these control freak politicians and their desire to disarm law abiding citizens.

    • Manteca. Modesto has Dick’s sporting goods, and they won’t get dick from me after they dropped sporting rifles.

      • You know, you could apply to policy to Modesto in general, and it would probably work out pretty well.

  15. I guess it depends on where in California you are. I live and work in the San Diego area, which is far more conservative than LA or the Bay Area. There are never very many revolvers available, but there seems to be plenty of semi-auto handguns. There are 3 shops close to where I work that specialize in tactical rifles, and they have been well stocked with both rifles and parts. The only thing that I have found to be scarce for my current AR build project is stripped uppers, but I will likely get one of those by the end of the week. (JD Machine Tech is located in San Diego and one of the shops carries their receivers.) Lowers are all over the place.

    My local range has had ammo pretty much all along, depending on caliber of course. (I prefer to stock up from the Internet though.)

    Not that I can’t wait to leave here for a free state, but I pretty much need to find another career or wait until I can retire.

    • I shop at Parallax, Poway Weapons and Gear and Big 5 in MM. Big 5 in MM has had a Sig 522 for sale for 90 days. It’s discounted now and they have .223 and 5.56.

        • Depends which town you live in. LA has tried to ban, as has SF. Some dealers will not ship to specified zips because of these silly laws.

  16. I too was out prowling over the long weekend, visiting three of the five guns stores in town. One had a surprising slew of Kimbers (Kimber was dropped by another store because they could never get any in), but only a few Sigs and one HK. Another store, well stocked with long arms, had not a single 1873, even though it is a Uberti dealer. No pocket guns except high end Kahrs ($700 and up), but none of the CWs. I haven’t seen an LC9 since before Thanksgiving anywhere. I can find Ruger six shooters at the third, but other than a couple of black powder guns, there were only four pistols. And at the last, there was limited rifle ammo, a few bullets, but no powder. Shelves are vacant.

  17. Here in Eastern Kansas it’s looking better. Especially compared to MA a month ago. One store I visited only had .223 ammo and shotgun for sale. I found that funny. They also had a few Henry’s which I want. The other stores still have holes in ammo inventory but it looks good. .22LR is still not anywhere to be found. Pmags are plentiful along with other mags, evil black rifles are on the shelves. AKs are still harder to find. I even found drums for my Saiga 12 which was a shock to me!

    • What? Leave the front line in the midst of battle? lol

      Plus, it’s just not that easy to do for all of us.

    • A lot of people are leaving California. Just look what happened in Colorado because of the exodus. California gun laws, coming soon to a state near you.

        • Sometimes, the better part of valor is knowing when to say quit.

          I did, over 9 years ago (after residing in LA for over 20 years). Best move I ever made in hindsight, and not that hard once you’re through it.

  20. The up side is that with the much lower crime rate that accompanies the gun restrictions, there will be much less need of police, so the savings in that area can, combined with the high taxes, provide for much improved quality of life, through outstanding government services.

    • Awesome! It’s incredible how crazy fantasy shit can be rationalized, isn’t it?

  21. Micro stamping is a good idea. When a BG goes to the range to pick up shell casings and throws them around at a shooting, more of us will be in jail.

  22. Here in San Diego, ARs are actually being discounted as are magazines . There is .223 and 5.56 on the shelf too. No .22 LR..

  23. Most of the local gun stores do have a far better selection of ammo, ebr’s and handguns than just a few weeks ago. But, the local bass pro looks just like the picture above.

  24. After living in ca for 30yr. I moved the family to Alabama cash and carry. The sad thing is that one in ten Americans lives in ca. Roll tide!

  25. My local spot is back in full swing, walked in on Sunday and was absolutely stunned at the selection. All the tactical type stuff and a good deal of ammo was damn close to pre-panic prices. Wouldn’t take much to turn it back into the barren wasteland it was a month ago though…

  26. As people flee these conditions for states where we have maintained social and government reasonability, the states populaces will become more active in their designated states of mind.

    Slave states will see the shut-down of their respective firearms industries while free states will see surgances in manufacturing and product developments.

    Over-lawed states will be thrust into civil and social unrest while states that hold constructive values and decency will emerge as beacons of right-living in peace among one another.

    But alas, what happens in reality to the good people throughout history when surrounded by evil?

  27. I happen to live in the California central valley, and my LGS of choice has a decent selection of handguns last time I stopped in. Just about every Glock model, FNs, Sigs, 1911s, ect. They can do a “single shot exemption” transfer so the CA safe list or microstamping requirement is a non issue. They also disassemble any mags over 10 rounds into “repair kits”, which can be legally purchased. I just picked up a Gen 4 G17 with 3 17 round “magazine repair kits” California is full of retarded people, retarded politicians, and retarded laws. Thankfully the gun laws are so ‘tarded, they are filled with loopholes….for now.

    • And San Francisco has recently sued three of the top importers of “rebuild” kits seeking injunctive relief for this “end run” around California’s ban on 10+ mags.

  28. By shear luck I moved up from kalifornia in 1980. Oregon has some nice beaches, 2 species of elk, 3 deer, cougar, bobcat, turkey, pigs, salmon. You can buy a gun at a garage sale. Legally. That’s where I got my ’43 Garand. Squirt guns and supressors are legal here too. Got my eye on a fully equipped 1919 belt fed semi for 2500…

    No ammo to speak of here in the outer Portland metro area. Some common hunting calibers, just no plinking ammo. Fortunately, I’ve always been a hoarder on components. So I should be good for another year or so.

  29. The stupididty continues and the gun folks have to pay the price in Kalifornia.
    If I did live there……….well that would never happen so never mind.

  31. Just a point of clarification. The microstamping mandate applies only to semi-autos, so we can still get new model revolvers. Second, the mandate does not apply to any pistol that is on the roster as of the effective date of the mandate. But because of the roster, we have missed out on a lot of new firearms. Like the Gen 4 Glocks, the XDm and XDs, any new Taurus pistol, all of Kimber’s “small” offerings. (Anything that is 1911. though, is GTG.) KelTech has pulled out, and Taurus seems to be leaving (except for revolvers). Ruger, though, has been good to California, and Kahr is gaining an increased market share. Smith & Wesson did give us a few new pistols before the mandate, but there’s no telling if any of these guys will produce anything to satisfy the mandate. I was joking with the owner of a LGS that pretty soon all we’ll be able to get are 1911s and 1873s; to which he replied that pretty soon anything that fires more than one shot will be labeled an “assault weapon” and banned!

    • You are correct Mark, but having said that, once a company either stops paying the yearly fee, or stops making the model, or even changes the model number because the make a change like adding a full metal slide rail or even the color, no more here. We can’t expect companies to make their current model forever.
      I am guessing GLOCK might not renew their fees to the state next year. Just my two cents, I wouldn’t if I were them.

  32. East Texas:
    5.56, .223, .22LR, 7.62 can be found a couple of times a month. All the other common rifle ammo is abundant. Somebody please buy all the 7mm, tired of looking at it. All the shot shells (buck, slugs…etc) you can afford can be yours (3 boxes per day). Forty can be had weekly, .45, .44 a couple times a month, and .38 once a month.
    Finding 9mm, .380, .357 and smaller…you may as well buy lottery tickets.

  33. Obama’s DOING THIS to you with ID/IQ’s !!!
    This is WHY you CAN’T FIND Ammo: “On March 12, 2012 ATK (the parent Company of Federal brand ammunition) announced that it was awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) agreement from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for .40 caliber ammunition. This contract has a base of 12 months, includes four option years, and will have a maximum volume of 450 million rounds of hollow point bullets.

  34. As a person who lives ten minutes west of the Bass Pro, you should try Barnwood arms (http://www.thebarnwoodarms.com/home/ ) and Shotgun Johnny’s (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shotgun-Johnnys/157213624426418 )
    They both have ammo regularly (last time I was at BArnwood they had nice 62gr green tip and Shotgun johnnys has 55 cent .223 55gr.)
    .22 can randomly be found around, but that will probably be the last thing to be eased off. Pistol ammo is really just how you hard you look ( I use a .44 mag and a .45 auto, so I am all good right now) and Yes, I know that the Bass Pro shop looks like the local whore house (All used up) and yes, I think that its ridiculous how bare the shelves are, but it happens. Us Californians have been by far the most screwed over so far, so when we hear of this stuff, our knee jerk reaction tends to drastically increase the depth of our pockets, in only momentarily.

  35. Sorry this article missed the mark. Bass pro is not a good way to determine the state of calfornia. Yes i agree that california laws are ridiculous and unconstitutional. But if you were to actually go to local stores at least in southern caliornia many items are in stock. The bass pro in southern california looks exactly the same as those pictures. Remember bass pro is a fishing store and at least in california they dont seem to give a damn about shooting/hunting.

    • Bass Pro is an outdoors recreation store… Fishing, hunting, camping, packing, archery, barbecue. Your point was well made, but you blew it when you let slip the fact that you probably haven’t ever been inside a Bass Pro at all.

      • Actually I visit the bass pro rancho Cucamonga store all the time. Its just funny when the shooting section is always packed there and yet its still such a small part of the store. Cabelas is a much better place for hunting/shooting stuff. Sorry redhead clothing has go to be the worst brand.

        • Still boggles my mind that they put it in Rancho at all, let alone in that backwards ass corner of that mall…

  36. Ammo is pretty rare here in So Cal, but every place has handguns, ARs, and AKs now…come to think of it, the local Turners (leaving aside expensive rounds, like Golden Sabre and such) only had .40 SW, 270, and 7.62×39 rang ammo. AK owners are fine, apparently.

  37. I live in Central California and I’m not really having any issues getting ammo for any of my five guns. I am having the most luck with local private gun shops. I have about 9 shops that I cycle through in a 50 mile radius and between them and the chain stores (Dicks, Sports Authority, Walmart) I have had no problem getting 9mm, .45, 22lr, 5.56 and .223 in various amounts every week. No matter what, some place always has it. Now granted, there are purchase limits (usually between 1 and 3 boxes per caliber) and some of the prices are a bit higher than normal but all in all, I’d rather over pay and have it than keep my money and be stuck with nothing. What I really need are 10 round california compliant magazines for my AR-15 and S&W M&P9 Full Size. THOSE two things are like gold around here. None of the shops ever seem to get them and online shops I check regularly are all sold out. It sucks!

  38. I see the ammo starting to fill the shelves again. I live in central California, and I can go to a local gun shop and buy any type of ammo I want, except 22lr. I was at the Bass Pro Shop he wrote about in the article 2 weeks ago. I walked out with a 100 rd pack of 45 acp, and 2 50 rd packs of 40 s&w. They had bulk packs of 22lr, but I have a huge stock of it. However, they had NO handguns in stock. The local shops here in fresno have plenty of handguns in stock to choose from.

  39. Michigan here, ammo still very scarce. I have a Gander Mountain, Cabelas, Wal-Mart, Meijer, and a half dozen indy gun sellers I truck through regularly to price ammo. None of them have any sort of supply. Was at the biggest firearm retailer in teh state four days ago, and they were out of most popular centerfire and all rimfire. The drought continues.

  40. “People are running scared (straight to their local gun store) because despite our attempt to educate and bring everyone up to speed on the new laws, the fear, uncertainty and doubt about the impact of these new restrictions on gun owners is overwhelming.”

    I would disagree here, and say that the ongoing shortages are due partly BECAUSE of people becoming educated and up to speed on the pending laws, not DESPITE. The lawmakers have proven that they are going to go to great lengths to do everything they can to eliminate access to guns. And if they can’t get the guns, they’ll make ammo a biatch to buy, even after it is back in stock.

  41. The micro-stamping ignorance is roughly the same as the ballistic data base as the requirement to provide fired cases (presumably for extractor and pin marking comparison). These are all some nexus of ‘lets make it harder, more expensive ect’ and ‘gee, I just really don’t know anything about guns (or machines, or physical properties or probabilities or . . . ).’

    Once I had a friend over whilst I did a little home gun smithing to clean up a chiped firing pin in a S&W revolver (exposed, hammer mounted pin). I did with a simple fine hand file and it took about 2 minutes. My friend isn’t much of a gun guy but does follow the news and at the time there was much about (Massachusetts was it?) a state beginning to require guns shipped to the state to provide shell casings to the state police for addition to a data base. He asked if what I had done while we talked didn’t alter the mark the pin would make on the casings. I explained that the wear and damage to the pin would have made identification impossible already, never mind what I’d done to fix it. This lead the conversation to extractor marks. I showed him various pistol extractors, how they work and how both normal use and obviously the application of grit would readily alter them. Then the inevitable came up, ballistic comparison of land/groove marking of bullets. I explained how it worked and he opined that most recovered bullets would be damaged beyond recognition. I explained that many were, but that the same rules that applied to pins and extractors also applied to barrels, that a bit of file work or even just normal wear would render accurate comparison impossible. He wondered out loud if such data bases then had any use what so ever. They don’t, of course, since they’re defeated by implements that are readily available, cheap, easy to use and irrevocably deny comparison.

    What’s fascinating and troublesome isn’t that such measures are nearly useless, it’s that anyone in a position to vote on such legislation ought to have already known that.

  42. I live in the East Bay. Big 5 in Fremont always has .223, 5.56, 9mm, .40, plus a decent stock of hunting ammo and 12 gauge shotgun shells. It is not cheap though. They actually had two Mini-14s for sale too. Dicks recently opened in Livermore and will open soon in Daly City. Also have to mention Annie’s Guns, Fremont’s only gun store.

  43. Are you serious? Gun laws have helped a lot. Yes, most gun deaths are not the fault of people buying legal firearms from stores. They are mostly people taking said guns from family members. But let’s not have gun laws that require gun locks because that’s unamerican. You will make every excuse to criticize. I’m a third generation Californian. My previous two generations were L.A. cops. Neither were NRA members, both loved gun laws because they do help. They stop crazy people and criminals from getting assault rifles. They should go further. Nobody needs an assault rifle. California is better than texas or Oklahoma in their concealed carry laws. Nobody needs to carry a gun but cops. And if you can’t get ammo, neither can criminals. Look at gun crimes in countries that don’t allow gun ownership. Its a hell of a lot lower than the US. I’m an American but I think that the second amendment was for another time and outdated just like slaves and monarchies. Get over it. Stop complaining and spent your money on education instead of destructive devices. Nobody needs to defend themselves that much. The government isn’t organized enough to stop all of your rights so just shut up. Please. It would make many lives better.

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