Several law enforcement agencies from around the state are delaying officer training and have shipments of ammunition on back order.

It's all due to a national ammunition shortage, which you can see first-hand at Eagle Gun Range in Macon, where Owner Hamp Dowling's usually plentiful shelves are now running at historical lows.

"It's about as valuable as gold," Dowling said.

Dowling says firearms and ammunition sales have doubled during the last two months, but sensing an ammo shortage was imminent, he stocked up early, and says he is now one of the few places around town that still sells 9 MM rounds.

"We make sure that we have plenty of ammunition on site, so that when they come in to shoot on the range, bango, we got ammunition for them," Dowling said.

Some law enforcement agencies around the state either didn't see the shortage coming, or didn't have the funds to buy all their ammo at once. Leaders at the State Public Safety Training Facility in Forsyth say several agencies are in need of bullets, and there is definitely a shortage affecting the state.

"We've never had a real danger of running out, we have run a little bit low," said Bibb County Sheriff David Davis.

Davis says his office has felt the squeeze before, that's why it now orders all the ammunition it needs at the beginning of the fiscal year.

"You can run into some troubles there if the supply becomes diminished, so this way, we just go ahead and order all we need for that year, and get it all in at once," Davis said.


For Dowling, things are a bit different. He has all his supply on back order right now, and he's just hoping manufacturers can keep up with high demand.

"Everybody is trying to buy the same thing so, there's going to be a huge shortage of firearms this year, especially the semi-automatic rifles. They were being purchased by the hundreds and hundreds, and the manufacturers just can't keep up with it," Dowling said.