Late last week, I went to one of those big outdoor chain stores that feature fishing, hunting, shooting, camping, and similar outdoor gear and clothing. I was pleased to see there was a very good assortment of ammunition on the shelves, including multiple brands and bullet weights for 5.56 ammo. There were a few 1,000 round cases, some .30-caliber ammo cans holding 420 rounds of Winchester 5.56 and plenty of cardboard boxes holding anywhere from 20 to 200 rounds.
That means the expected drought of 5.56 ammo—still Americans’ favorite centerfire rifle caliber—has not reached the store shelves yet.
I didn’t buy any 5.56, but I bought 200 rounds of 115 grain 9mm FMJ to use for training. There was lots of 9mm available, starting at about 28 cents per round. There was a huge quantity of shotgun shells on the shelf as well. I didn’t see any obvious outages in ammo.
If you need to stock up, now is the time to do so. Fill any gaps in your ammo stash while it is still available and reasonably priced. As I have warned before, it is unlikely to stay that way thanks to Lake City ammunition plant cutting off sales to commercial accounts.
Granted, I was there on a weekday afternoon, but the store was empty. There were about as many employees as there were customers.
On the way home, I bought five 50-pound bags of chicken feed. That gives me 12 plus an unopened bag of scratch on hand, which should last into April. I know I’ll use the chicken feed. I hope I won’t need to use any of the ammo for anything but practice.
Less-than Concealed Carry
We’re making some bathroom renovations, so we went to Lowes. I bought enough heavy boxes of tile, bags of cement, and grout they sent a young fellow out to help me load up the truck. He lifted things into the truck bed, and I climbed up there to slide them further back and stacked them to make room. While bending over to do this, my untucked shirt apparently rode up enough for him to see my gun in its outside-the-waistband holster just behind my strong-side hip.
“Is that a Sheild?” he asked.
Well, it was too late to deny I’m wearing a gun, and we’re outside the store, which does not have any “no gun zone” stickers so I might as well be honest. “No, a Glock,” I tell him.
“A Glock 19?” he asks.
Now I’m happy to talk about guns, but I’m not into full disclosure with some guy I don’t know. And besides, the Glock 48 is almost the same size, just a bit skinnier. So I say, “Yeah.” And then, feeling little guilty, I say, “I have a red dot optic because of my old eyes.”
“Cool,” he says, nodding. “Good for you.” I took it to mean he approved, both of the Glock and that I’m carrying.
Everybody is Packin’
Packin’, as carrying is called in these parts, is common and almost universally accepted. That’s one thing I like about living in a rural area. When a guy takes off his Carhartt jacket to sit down at the diner and he flashes his gun, no one says a word. There are no gasps or tittering from the ladies at the next table. When you see someone’s pistol when he climbs into the barber chair, it doesn’t garner a comment or a second look.
On two occasions, I’ve seen guys open carrying in Walmart. I bet they do it just because they know Walmart isn’t thrilled with carrying, at least at the corporate level. That’s part of the local mentality – no one wants to be told what they can and can’t do by some corporation or politician.
Now this Lowes is about 90 minutes from my house, on the outskirts of a small city, in a conservative state, in the foothills of the mountains. This young fellow probably grew up with guns and goes hunting on opening day. He is on the right track; he just needs to be a little more discreet when he spots a customer’s firearm. I took his interest as enthusiasm, and I expect he wishes he could carry at work. When we were finished loading, I thanked him for his help. We exchanged a few polite words, and I drove off.
“What’s a shield?” my wife asked as we pulled away. I had to chuckle. I explained it was a compact Smith & Wesson pistol that was often used for concealed carry. “Oh, he probably has one,” she said. I bet she was right, and he asked that because it was what he carries when he can, so his mind jumped to it.
Defending the Neighborhood
My wife recently told me that after she heard about the two kibbutz that successfully fought off the Hamas raiders, she thought of me and my friend Karl. Yes, we’d fight to protect the community in which we reside, and I know our neighbors down the hill would as well. In fact, they’ll probably take care of any problem before it reaches us.
“We should get you out there to do some more training,” I told her. She didn’t immediately agree, but neither did she disagree. I considered it a seed planted.
Always Assume a Gun is Present
Any cop worth his salt always assumes a gun is present when they pull over a vehicle or deal with the public. You and I should, too. Now that about half the states in the country have constitutional carry, also known as permitless carry, that is even more likely to be the case.
Guns are as American as baseball and apple pie. They are part of our culture. I feel sorry for you if you live somewhere that is not the case.
