Anybody who has tried to buy ammo lately has probably heard the same thing that Davy Crockett heard at the Alamo — no reinforcements are in sight.

The fact is that these days, demand for ammunition, guns and related gear is high and the supply is low, thanks to a run on the sale of guns and bullets that’s being described by some as a “hoarding” of gun supplies.

People are worried that new gun control restrictions and higher fees on guns and ammo are just around the corner, and the state of alarm seems to be self-perpetuating: empty shelves are causing a cycle of high-quantity purchases that has led some local stores to impose limits on the amount of ammunition that can be bought at one time.

Even people who are not normally concerned about gun control issues have taken notice, and store managers across the country are increasingly being asked about when ammo shipments will arrive.

Brad Burney, owner of Praco Gun & Pawn in Waco, is seeing the same trends here in Central Texas, but puts the issue into historical perspective, saying that he saw something similar back in the mid-1990s during the assault weapons ban legislation that came to be known as the Brady Law.

Burney added that people are concerned about the potential tightening of restrictions on gun rights. He says the resulting effects of an increasing number of people stocking up on ammo, teamed with the fact that manufacturing hasn’t caught up with demand, has resulted in a shortage on store shelves.

Once people see empty shelves, another sporting goods department manager told me, their buying habits change and they get as much as they can as often as they can.

Even those who load their own ammunition are feeling the pinch. Lee Crawford makes his own ammo and has seen the same thing happening with supplies like powder, primers and casings.

Crawford gets many of his supplies through a mail order supply house, and is on an e-mail alert list that tells him when certain products arrive that he’s interested in.

Last week, he checked his e-mail 45 minutes after his alert arrived and the company’s entire shipment of primers had already been snatched up.

Crawford and others consider this trend more of a nuisance than anything else, but they’re still taking notice. It has gotten to the point where people are being more careful with what they’ve got. For example, these days, if he accidentally drops a primer, Crawford and his wife Norma stop what they’re doing and go find it.

Federal, state and local governments recently did an exceptional job of making sure the public had good information on the recent swine flu outbreak. Even people who don’t usually worry about germs started to take precautions.

It would be helpful if a similar approach could be taken to reassure Americans that the rumors and fears about further gun rights restrictions are unfounded.

It’s not just the fringe element who are concerned anymore.

An honorable man

There aren’t many ways to die that are more honorable than dying while helping out friends in need.

China Spring outdoorsman Mike Arnold drowned last Wednesday at Lake Whitney while attempting to rescue some friends who had become stranded in their boat on the lake after dark.

I didn’t know Arnold personally, although I met him a couple times while covering area fishing tournaments. From all accounts, he was loved and respected by those who worked with him and fished with him.