I see empty shelves at mega stores, but I walk into the Mom and Pop sporting goods shop near my house and they are fully stocked with ammo. And the prices are normal, too.

But I hear this is not the current state of affairs, and that ammo is in short supply. There is a solution to this.

That is for everyone to stop buying it for three months. Right now it appears we are in a hoarding situation so it will never get better.

There will be competition shooters who will still need to buy, but as far as everyone else goes then if you have a few thousand rounds then just stop buying for a few months and ask others to do so as well. When sales of ammo drop off and supplies start building up then folks should only buy enough to replace the ammo they use for hunting or target practice.

If you are wondering where all the ammo is going, and you are out buying up all you can, then you are a part of the problem and not the solution.

This might panic those that just know the government is buying up all the ammo to create a shortage since there is a good chance they will be shown to be wrong, but who cares what they think?

If you want the supply of something to go up then stop consuming it. Stop whining about the lack of ammo and ask yourself if you really need to store another 5,000 rounds you are never going to shoot.

Yup, it really is that simple. And if everyone does this it will not be long before the NRA starts screaming about how everyone should be out buying all they can because of Obama or something.

The power to stop these shortages is in the hands of the consumers, so if the consumers want the supply to go up the way to do this is simple.

Just stop buying it for three months.

\

What, guns and logic?

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It's a sooper seekrit plan to help ammo makers. Part of Ohbummer's economic stumulush plansh. He's really a Republican in disguise and wants the ammo makers to score mad profits at the expense of the average shooter.

What made me think of this was some research I was doing on hoarding during WW 2.

The governments of every country involved finally stopped announcing that a shortage of something was to be expected because as soon as they announced it a shortage would take place.

Hoarding was severe at the start of the war, but after the D-day invasion it sort of slacked off. People could see they had been hoarding for nothing and the Blackmarket in rationed goods caved in.

When the war ended food products sat on shelfs and sat on shelfs since everyone was using up the food they had hoarded during the war and a lot of small grocers went broke.

We, meaning those of us that like to target shoot, could do the same thing with the ammo supply if everyone would just stop buying ammo for a few months.

Oh wait, maybe Obama is a Communist after all. He wants the small gun shops to go broke.... on second thought, I still think that he's a Republican in drag: the large sports shop chains will survive, since they sell things other than weapons, while the mom'n'pop places will die. Thus perpetuating the corepirate American agenda.

The 'small Mom and Pop place' in my neck of the wood is thriving. They are doing it on personal customer service and knowing what they are doing.

You can go to the Mega store if you know just what you are looking for, or shop on-line for stuff you know about, but if you want personal service and someone who will open the shop for hunters who want to get an early start it is hard to beat a local shop.

A very large percentage of competition shooters are reloaders. They make their own custom rounds. The hoarding is being done by three classes of people as far as I can see. The first group are idiots, many of whom shouldn't be allowed around pointy objects, let alone things that go bang. Their idiot twitter-verse spread the word that some expert said that the best survival SHTF ammo to have on hand is .22LR. Now, you have people and some businesses selling 500 round bricks of .22 for 75 bucks and up and these morons continue to pay it. They scoop up handgun ammo in 9mm, .40 and .45 like it's popcorn. They all believe the discredited nonsense about the gov't creating intentional ammo shortages by buying billions of rounds of ammo. These are people who cannot be reasoned with.
The second group is fairly sensible people who, understanding there is a shortage, buy when they see the opportunity fearing there won't be another opportunity. They probably know they are contributing to the shortage if they stop to consider it, but the funny thing about shooting well is you need to shoot often to shoot consistently well. Lay off for a few months on practice and your skills take a beating.
The third and scummiest group are the individuals and businesses who are capitalizing on the first two by charging absurd prices. Sure, I don't have a problem with "whatever the market will bear", but these folks are doing nothing but making matters worse.
Not buying for 3 months is a good idea, but nobody will do it except the reloaders who had the foresight to stay stocked up in the first place. I don't have a comfortable cusion of small pistol primers, but otherwise I'm good. I have been asked by several shooters I know to load and sell them some 9mm or .45 or whatever. The answer is "tough noogies".

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My American Rifleman magazines have never said anything like that. Have yours?

Other than 12 ga I haven't bought ammo since winter 2012.

I'm thinking about hoarding pressure cookers though.

I'm in Chevy's second group. I'm the sensible man

As long as the first and third groups are motivated the shortage will continue. Unfortunately this is driven by the anti gun crowd in Washington who despite having been defeated in the latest round of the fight will be back. So as long as they keep making noises about limiting anything gun related the first and third groups will continue full steam ahead. Leaving those of us in the second group picking up the pieces.

I work five minutes drive from a Cabelas so I swing by there several times a week usually during lunch. I've managed to slowly accumulate a small stash of about 300 or so 9mm rounds, about 500 45acp and about 1000 or so 22's. I don't shoot as much as I'd like though as I seldom have time to get out to the ranges.

This has had the salutary effect though of enabling me to slowly build up my meager stockpile even while the frenzy is going on.

- Peter.

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So you missed the recent issue with Obama on the cover saying 'This man must be stopped!'?

Ohhhh, I thought you were suggesting that NRA was telling people to hoard ammo! Instead, you are critical of them exercising their constitutional right under the first amendment.

We need to turn them in to the IRS for serious investigation.

I was in the sporting goods store a few blocks from my house yesterday. I could have bought 1000 rounds of 9mm and they would have still had plenty left over.

The first time I went in there they had ammo stocked at the end of an set of shelfs. I asked if this was all they had and they pointed to a set of shelfs eight feet high and 14 feet wide and it was filled with ammo of every size and price range.

And that was not that long ago.

Start checking some of the smaller shops. I know the one near me cannot be the only place that has ammo for sale.

Got an address for that shop?

If they feel it is necessary to scare people into buying guns and ammo then I guess they are only doing what Lackeys do. I can remember when the NRA really was all about gun safety and product tests. Now I cannot pick up an issue of any of their magazines that is not just one long political rant.

But doing the bidding of their Masters is what they are all about, so I don't fault them. After all, this is business!

But as long as folks continue to whine about ammo shortages and prices when the power to do something about it is in their hands then I find it hard to work up any sympathy for their plight.

The answer is simple economics, but as long as people continue to buy products they don't need then they need to shut up about shortages they themselves are causing.

The consumers are either a part of the problem or a part of the solution. I don't have any problem buying all the ammo I need, so since no one is concerned about solving this problem then I guess no one else does either.