Ammo in short supply during gun debate

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Business at Al & Bob's Sports gun shop in Grand Rapids has been good lately. Very good.

President Barack Obama recently proposed sweeping gun control reform and he discussed the topic again in his Tuesday evening State of the Union address, saying the families of those affected by recent massacres and crimes deserve a vote on the legislation.

Every time the issue comes up again, it fuels the debate on 2nd Amendment rights, and gun sales skyrocket.

"If he speaks, then everybody panics and we see the reaction to it," said Al & Bob's Sports manager Scott DeVries. "It's about cleaned us out."

Guns are flying off the shelves at Al & Bob's Sports. Whether you're looking for a Ruger, Smith & Wesson or Glock, if you need a specific model now, it may be nearly impossible to find.

And if you get your gun, you may not be able to get ammunition for it. Ammunition for 9mm handguns and .22 long rifles were out of stock Tuesday.

"I've been to several stores and you'll see they're empty," said customer Tom Nemcek.

Managers said the run started after the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and the January murders of Kentwood (Mich.) couple David and Vivian Bouwman, and hasn't let up.

"It's crazy right now," said DeVries.

And he doesn't know when the store will have more ammunition in stock.

"I was trying to get an answer from one of the distributors this morning and they can't even give us an answer," said DeVries.

And with so many exercising their 2nd Amendment rights, the discussion about those rights continues.

"The central question then becomes: Does America have a gun problem or does America have a violence problem?"

Grand Rapids Community College anthropologist Dr. Dillon Carr framed the debate.

GRCC is holding a three-day symposium on gun violence in America, breaking down the issue that even some high school students found informative.

"Just to hear different viewpoints and different perspectives that people have on gun violence," said Jontae Young of East Kentwood High School.