No question but that there's a full-fledged panic at the present time. But, trust me, it will end, probably sooner than later.
I've posted about this previously. The ammo panic of '09 is no different from other panics in recent memory. Gasoline shortages in the '70s are a perfect analogy. Supplies tighten for a product because of increased demand and limited production. People begin to hoard. Rumors sweep the market, increasing the instinct to hoard. Soon, suppliers are without product which encourages panicked purchasers to frantically demand any supplies that become available.
Look at what's happened since the election. People have been prodded into panic buying by rumors -- all totally unsubstantiated -- that guns and ammo are about to be restricted by the federal or state governments. Some of the rumors are absurd on their face (i.e., the Obama administration is about to impose a heavy tax on each round of ammo sold, or Congress will soon require all ammunition rounds to bear unique serial numbers), but, in a panic situation enough people believe them to spark hoarding. And, that exacerbates shortages, which causes more hoarding.
Every panic ends the same way. Sooner or later buyers reach the point of satiation and suppliers ramp up production to meet perceived demand. Usually, panics end as quickly as they begin leaving people scratching their heads as to what could have been the cause of it all.
There are signs that this panic may be ending soon. My local gunstore proprietor told me today that demand had definitely cooled in the last couple of weeks for firearms. I've noticed that guns are not leaping off the shelves nearly as fast as they did even a couple of weeks ago. Lots of guns are going unsold on Gunbroker because people are not bidding up to the unrealistically high reserve prices demanded by sellers. So, have patience, all, this too will pass.
