Firearms, ammo in short supply

February 04, 2013, 6:00 pm by Alexandria Randolph

Trey Fisher of Marble Falls practices tactical pistol firing at a range at the Copperhead Creek Shooting Club.

The firearm debate sweeping across the country has affected citizen concern, safety instructors and gun sales in the Highland Lakes.

The issue became most heated following the death of 20 children and six adults in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. The alleged shooter, Adam Lanza, reportedly used a Bushmaster AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in the school shootings and then used a handgun to kill himself, according to authorities.

Following the shooting, President Barack Obama has continued to advocate stricter gun control and an assault weapons ban bill has been introduced in the Senate.

Since then, area stores and firearm instructors have reported high ammunition sales and a shortage of certain gun models as citizens appear to stock up.

Junior Torrez, sales associate at the sporting goods department at the Marble Falls Walmart, confirmed that the store can’t keep ammo in stock.

"It is flying off the shelves,” he said. "Ever since all this stuff in the news, people are panicked. Right now we can’t order it (ammunition), they (Walmart warehouses) just send it whenever they get it.”

Although Torrez said there haven’t been any lines for ammunition, some customers come to the store every morning to see if there is more ammo in stock.

For more on this story, see Tuesday's Highlander or Wednesday's Burnet Bulletin or Llano Country Journal.