At the same time federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security are buying up ammunition stockpiles around the country and shipping large quantities overseas for use by the military, the Obama administration is now pushing states to mandate "green ammunition" that is free of lead.
497145     The result?  Ammo supplies for law-abiding citizens have dried up in recent months, and experts expect it to get worse.
     "The potential exists for a de facto ammunition ban," says Ryan Bronson of the Minnesota-based National Shooting Sports Foundation.
     Some sources even describe the developments as a conspiracy to limit Americans' Second Amendment right.
     Unprecedented ammunition shortages have been in headlines for months, with stores often limiting purchases to one or two boxes, if they have the desired caliber at all.  Often retail shelves that used to hold abundant ammunition supplies display nothing but dust.
     Now it appears the developments creating that unwelcome convergence include a campaign to move toward non-toxic, non-lead bullets because of the health concerns associated with lead, the mass purchases government is known to make, and even the shipments of supplies overseas.
Health concerns
     Sources say health-care advocates are arguing that lead bullet fragments, especially in game such as venison, are neurotoxins that can harm children and developing fetuses.
     Even the U.S. Geological Survey has had something to say about lead-based ammunition.  It estimates that nationwide there are 400,000 pieces of lead shot per acre in areas where game is hunted, which can potentially be eaten or washed into waterways.