Police departments nationwide are experiencing ammunition shortages, according to the online law enforcement resource, PoliceOne.com

Sgt. Chris Forrester of the Greer Police Department in South Carolina told local TV-news channel WSPA-7:

"It's never easy to get ammo, but since the tragedy in Connecticut, it's become even more difficult."

Forrester says the department began experiencing problems ordering ammunition a little less than a month ago. "You'll call and they say 'sorry we're out,' or 'it's on back order,'" he said.

The shortage has forced Sgt. Forrester to rethink quarterly training for his officers saying, "We're having to be more conservative."

Typically, officers are required to fire 60 rounds with a rifle but because of ammunition backorders, they've reduced that number to 20, Forrester explained.

According to WSB-TV, tens of thousands of rounds are on backorder for departments in Georgia which has forced the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to reschedule training exercises as they scramble for ammo.

Chief Terry Sult of the Sandy Springs Police Department said, "It affects our ability to be prepared. It affects the potential safety of the officers, because they're not as proficient as they should be."

Jay Wallace, owner of Smyrna Police Distributors in Cobb County, Georgia commented on the ammunition shortage:

"There's been more demand for ammunition than there's ever been. We're going to be starting to get very concerned at the six-month level if that's all we have in stock, because then we have to start planning and rationing."

Wallace also said that some police departments could wait up to a year for bulk ammunition orders to be shipped.

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