The demand for guns and ammunition has increased since the presidential election in November, causing local suppliers to limit sales.

“We’ve had times where we were completely out of some calibers,” said Cliff “Jay” Romans, senior international relations major and range officer at Riverside Range in Cuyahoga Falls.

“For the past six months, especially the months following the election, it was near impossible to meet up with demand,” Romans said.

He said customers are concerned about price increases, steady supply and whether they can get what they need.

Some customers are afraid they will not get what they need and will hoard the ammunition, making it difficult for other customers, Romans said.

He said he has seen a 15 percent price increase overall throughout the last year in regards to ammunition; however, those price fluctuations vary by caliber.

Walmart in Ravenna has had to limit sales, too. Employees posted a sign on the ammunition case in the sporting goods department, stating that sales of handgun and rifle ammunition is limited to six items per customer per day.

The ammunition case was about half full. A Walmart manager said she could not comment because corporate has to handle inquiries.

Eric Allen, a 22-year-old finance major, said Walmart cannot keep ammunition in stock. He said that is one of the cheapest places to purchase ammunition.

He said there’s a delay for everything related to guns. He bought a custom belt in December made to support the weight of a gun. He waited until midsummer to receive the belt. Normally, he said, it should have taken about two weeks to receive his custom order.

Allen said he believes one of the reasons for increased demand is the presidential election. President Barack Obama said, during his campaign, that he intends to reinstate the assault rifle ban.

Allen said he thinks the assault rifle ban will go into effect within the year, but it is taking longer than he expected.

Jason Bailey, a 22-year-old Akron resident, said the demand right now is more for assault rifles and high-powered ammunition. However, people are going to have a harder time finding what they need.

“It’s in such high demand, they can’t keep up with production,” he said.

Jeff Wilkinson, a 22-year-old resident of Cuyahoga Falls, said he does not expect much difficulty right now finding ammunition for his handguns. He mostly uses it for range shooting, and he tries to find the cheapest ammunition to use, but he said there might be problems in the future if the limit continues.

Contact public affairs reporter Theresa Edwards at [email protected]