ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – The Covid-19 pandemic led to the shortage of ammunition in 2020, which continued into 2021. As the United States returns to some type of “normalcy”, those may be wondering, is there still an ammunition shortage?

The simple answer is yes, but the shortage is not nearly as bad as it has been throughout the last 2 years. One of the types of ammunition that local gun shops do not have a lot of is hunting ammo. With hunting season beginning in just a few weeks, hunters may have trouble getting the specific type of ammunition they may need.

“There is still a shortage of ammunition, mainly for the hunting ammunition,” said Zachary Pugh, owner of Pugh Self Protection and Combatives. “Other ammunition has come around, so it is still kind of hard if someone wants a particular brand of ammo. It may be hard to come by.”

One of the reasons for the ammunition shortage here in New York State is that distributors do not send shipments to NY as often as they do to other states.

Fortunately, the cost of ammunition has remained relatively the same as it has been in the last few years, but due to simple supply and demand trends, the price is expected to rise in the next few weeks. Pugh said that if you’re in a time crunch looking for a certain type of ammunition fast, your best bet is to order online.

“If you do find something online you can have it shipped to us for pick up. Unfortunately, other than that, there really aren’t any other options.”