Politics, pandemic, panic: A look at what’s behind the ammo shortage in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The owner of Paradise Sales in Colorado Springs could hardly catch his breath between phone calls Friday. People want to know if the store has ammunition in stock.

Paul Paradis says it’s been that way for six months since the coronavirus pandemic hit southern Colorado. COVID-19 is impacting ammunition production in a major way.

“That has caused a lot of manufacturers to either shut down or slow down,” he said. “I’ve talked to a number of manufacturers and they’re having trouble getting raw materials.”

Paradis believes there are other factors leading to the shortage, like the upcoming election and protests nationwide. 

“At least a third of the people who have bought guns from me in the last six months are new buyers,” Paradis said.

Paradise Sales has a supply of any ammunition a customer could want, but it might not be the brand they prefer. The gun store has limited the amount of ammo it will sell to a single person in an attempt to spread out the supply.

"“I am suffering from not being able to buy as much ammo as I’d like," Craig Nelson, a customer of Paradise Sales, said.

So far, it seems like the ammunition shortage is only impacting recreational shooters. Both the Colorado Springs Police Department and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office tell KRDO they are stocked up on ammo.