It is unfortunately common to hear the mass media exclaim in disgust about how much ammo someone had. Usually this is after some horrific crime where the talking heads on the television need the viewer to understand how evil the perpetrator was. They would have you believe that anyone who has 5,000 rounds of ammo can’t be normal, and what better way to make someone appear to be a member of the lunatic fringe than to make obvious the depths to which they would sink in the name of preparedness? Take this quote from the LA Times in response to the December 2015 San Bernardino massacre:
Farook and Malik fired up to 75 rounds during their killfest and 76 while exchanging fire with police. Cops found 4,500 rounds at their home and 1,600 in their car.
Nobody needs that many bullets unless they’re arming for mass mayhem.
The message is simple: normal people don’t have that much ammo. But how much is too much? Well, that seems to be up to the people judging the alleged criminal in the name of news. Certainly 5,000 seems like a lot. But is it, really? The answer is, as is often the case, not so simple. (more…)