Officials from law enforcement offices in Santa Fe, Torrance and Bernalillo counties generally say there are fewer bullets to go around because ammo is being used to fight and train for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there has been a run on ammunition and guns since President Barack Obama took office.

"People have been buying firearms and ammunition like mad," Edgewood Police Chief Charles Swanberg said.

Swanberg said he's spent a week-and-a-half making phone calls to find ammunition for his department's AR-15 riffles. He ended up paying $1,250 for 2,500 .225-caliber bullets, ammo he needed for a three-day training session for seven officers.

That works out to about 50 cents per round for ammunition that cost about 10 cents per round two years ago, he said.

"It's still out there. Supplies are limited; prices are high," he said.

Santa Fe County Undersheriff Robert Garcia said his department has had to buy bullets from a local vendor at times, and prices are higher. He said his department has had to borrow ammunition from city police to keep its supplies up.

Estancia Police Chief Jimmy Chavez said his department had a difficult time acquiring ammunition about six months ago for practice rounds and trainings mandated by the state.

"We ended up having to borrow from another agency," he said.

The problem is nationwide, Chavez said, adding the department tried calling different sporting goods stores in Albuquerque with no luck.

"Everyone's out," Chavez said. "There is no law enforcement specific place. We buy from the same stores that sell to the public."

And it's not just law enforcement. Don Ormand, who goes by his Single-Action Shooting Society name Tex, said recreational shooters are having a tough time, too. Even the recreational shooters in Ormand's organization who reload their own bullets are having difficulty finding supplies, he said. While shells and lead are relatively easy to find, primers and gunpowder are scarce, he said.

Apparently even those who may have voted for Obama are concerned, Ormand said. He's heard from gun dealers who regularly see people with Obama T-shirts coming in and stocking up, he said.

"The gun enthusiasts are all concerned about draconian gun control measures," he said. "Hopefully the shortages pass, and the administration will be concerned with other issues and they'll leave our guns alone."

For some, slowing shipments have turned into a budgetary matter.

Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department Capt. Gregg Marcantel said prices have gone up, but he became concerned about orders that would have taken four weeks to fill taking four months to arrive.

"We have to be strategic with this," he said. "We're keeping a greater inventory. … The more savvy police departments are making sure that they're not finding themselves in an ammunition crisis."

He credits Sheriff Darren White with taking those concerns seriously and for finding the money in the department's budget to increase funding to keep up a backlog of ammunition.

Meanwhile, the Torrance County Sheriff's Department isn't hurting for ammunition, according to Undersheriff Heath White, although he said he is seeing a delay in his orders.

The department put in an ammunition order from a company out of Texas about four months ago, and it has not yet arrived, White said. Shipments usually come in within three weeks, he said.

"We're doing fine right now," he said. "We're not hurting, but we're making sure the time doesn't come we need it."

Moriarty Police Chief Bobby Garcia said his department had enough ammunition to last through 2010, and if he places an order now, he will likely receive replacement ammunition by the end of the year.

"As police officers we need to maintain a level of proficiency with our weapons. If we do not, we can become complacent and rusty in our shooting skills," he said.

New Mexico State Police Chief Jonathan Salazar, who works from the police station in Edgewood, said he is aware of the shortage, but his department has not had any problems, so far.

His officers are supplied from headquarters in Santa Fe, he said.

Telegraph reporter Ashley Bergen contributed to this article.