When Hamilton County Sheriff's Department officials go out to train at the shooting range, they won't be given as much ammo as they used to.
That's what the Department's training coordinator Jody Mays explained Wednesday in a safety committee meeting.
"The concern over firearms availability and ammunition availability and potentials of gun control certainly has impacted the availability of ammunition purchased locally," Mays said.
He said they can not afford the rising costs of ammo, so they've had to cut a third of their normal in service firearm training leaving officers with less ammo to train with than before.
Mays said, "It's forced us to be more challenging regarding the typed of scenario and just to use ammunition more economically."
Sergeant Mark Haskins of the Chattanooga Police department and firearm instructor says having plenty of training ammunition is important for any officer.
"We do need to train. Because that's a perishable skill shooting. It's not a lets do this once a year and we'll be fine. You must get out and practice," Haskins said.
The department purchases a lot of their ammo with a state bid contract that allows them to buy in bulk for a cheaper price, but Mays said even that is taking a much longer time to get delivered than usual.
