Residents buying ammo, survival supplies

Jeffrey Libby

Thursday, Sept. 20, 2001 | 10:43 a.m.

Center Mass Firearms in Henderson has only seven to 10 days' worth of bulk ammunition, owner Leon Novak says. His six wholesale suppliers, including one in Reno, are already sold out.

At Hahn's Military Surplus in North Las Vegas, Leon Hahn has taken his 500th reservation for gas masks, in adult and infant sizes. He has been sold out since Monday.

Across Southern Nevada, residents are buying ammunition and survival supplies in response to the terrorist attacks last week on New York and Washington, D.C. Gun sales, however, remain flat, storeowners said.

Bulk ammunition is used primarily for assault rifles, such as AK-47s.

The owners say the buying spree is already more widespread than in 1999, when people feared that Y2K would trip a worldwide computer glitch and send the country into anarchy.

"I think it's not so much that people are concerned about an attack from foreign shores, but when services are interrupted, the have-nots may try to take those things they don't have, like food, water and gasoline," Novak said. "It's like Y2K, but 10 times worse."

Novak, who says he is Southern Nevada's largest supplier of bulk ammunition, said normally he has two pallets holding 50,000 rounds of bulk ammunition in his main showroom. About 80 percent was sold off this morning. Normally he sells about $50 worth of ammunition in an eight-hour day. On Tuesday, he sold about $4,000.

People are calling for advice, knowing they should prepare but not knowing how, Novak said. He says he has been asked for antidote kits, custom body armor and metal-detecting wands. They have also asked for gas masks.

Hahn's is the only supplier of gas masks in the Las Vegas area. He is out, but expects 1,000 more to arrive in the next couple days.

"It's not a panic at this point, but you can sense the panic in people's voices, especially the women," Hahn said.

Hahn recommends people put aside water first, and after that, food and other survival gear such as flashlights and first-aid kits.

Butch Millard, of FearLess Fready's survival store, said ammunition sales are up 200 percent. He said when people shop for $100 of food, they should buy $10 more in groceries to put aside.