Milwaukee Cops out of Bullets?

Oh No. The US Military is causing a bullet shortage for American police officers --- according to a “survey” conducted by the Associated Press. The Milwaukee Police Department say they are especially hard hit.

Associated Press: 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.

In Milwaukee, supplies of .40-caliber handgun bullets and .223-caliber rifle rounds have gotten so low the department has repeatedly dipped into its ammunition reserves. Some weapons training has already been cut by 30 percent, and lessons on rifles have been altered to conserve bullets.

Wow -- A bullet shortage -- in Milwaukee? That doesn't sound right to me. These are exactly the type of “survey” findings that people predisposed to be anti-war and pro-gun control would love to embrace. Not that I’m questioning the motivations of the Associated Press, but their story ain’t true. The discussion at Ace of Spades pretty much dissects the logic flaws in the professional media conclusions.

Ammunition “Shortage” Squeezes Truth: Unfortunately for the astute fact checkers over at the AP, the article contains within it, facts that prove that this “serious problem” is almost a complete falsehood. The US Military does not use any .40, .45, or .38 Special caliber ammunition. The US Military uses only 9mm pistol ammunition, .233 (5.56mm), .308 (7.62mm) rifle ammunition, 12ga shotgun shells, and .50 caliber heavy machine gun rounds.

Police departments nationwide are being squeezed by the increased price of ammunition. Surging demand for ammunition by the US Military has affected the price and availability of certain types of ammunition. What the AP neglects to state is that, fueled by China’s and other developing nation’s voracious appetites for copper, brass, and lead, the price of those metals worldwide has tripled over the past few years. Such demand would have caused the price of ammunition to go up precipitously even if there were no ongoing war or increased US Military demand.

So if the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is the supplier of the small caliber rounds used by the military and Wal-Mart has plenty of civilian caliber supplies in stock, then maybe the Associated Press is distributing inaccurate but agenda servicing conclusions.