How do you define "Hoarding ammo"?

[zincwarrior]

Hoarding is going to happen. I accept that as a given. I'm annoyed with "flippers" (although I haven't seen that).

But what really really annoys me right now? Cabelas and other online companies I've bought items from, sending me catalogs right now. Its like they are rubbing my nose in the lack of ammo right there. "Look here's the ten types of 9mm you could have that we're out of HAHAHAHA!"

This too shall pass.

 

[huntinaz]

So you'd have nothing to say to a person who's driving a tanker from gas station to gas station in the middle of a fuel crisis, buying up all the gasoline he can get, just so he can have a two-year supply of gasoline for himself, or perhaps to sell it at greatly-inflated prices? Nothing to say at all, except "Good for you, and I'm glad you had the money to buy that much gasoline"?

Scott, I guess I'm not lumping this is with a shortage that would effect life, limb, property or livelihood. I am drawing a line between a temporary ammunition/component shortage due to a demand shock, and a gasoline crisis. If nobody can move from point A to Point B, the economy crashes. That's different than what we have here.

But essentially yes, I am defending the right of people to decide for themselves how much ammunition they need and how to conduct their business in general. I am also defending the free market. That's not to say I don't think some of them are jerks, but I understand supply and demand and it's hard to get too mad at a seller for selling at a price a buyer is willing to pay.

I'm tired of all the butthurt, and people whining "You can't tell us what to do", and "mind your own business".

I think we have different perspectives on who is butthurt and whining, but most importantly I think it goes against the American spirit of personal freedom to be told what to do. Buying supply (commodities) that is in demand for whatever reason is not taking away freedoms of others. Perhaps inconveniencing some of them, but not taking away essentials.

And I don't know how much we want to get into price gouging or supply and demand, but frankly those who buy now and sell at inflated prices are taking a risk. I will bet that some of them are going to lose their asses on large purchases after prices come back down and they have all this ammunition that is worth what they paid for it.... or less since they aren't a retail store.

You're within your legal rights to spend your money however you wish, and you're free to buy consumer goods in whatever quantities you can afford. But don't believe for a minute that your actions don't have direct consequences on the lives of others...

I hear you, but again I argue that since we are not talking about essentials to life, limb, property etc that these are inconveniences and not actions that threaten liberty. When you start interfering with other people rights, there is a problem. I do not believe this is relevent here.

...or that your activities are beyond criticism or reproach just because they're legal.

Absolutely, people disagree about stuff all the time. And it is good we can have these disagreements civilly without fear of persecution. Freedom is a wonderful thing.

 

[22-rimfire]

In the retail business, you buy it and sell it as quickly as you can so you can order and do it again. Some of the non-commerical folks who might pay a lot for 22 ammo and expect to sell it at a profit may find that they will infact have some on hand. Guess they'll be ready for the next shortage.

Quantity restrictions don't bother me much with ammunition. But on the other hand, if I drove an hour to a store specifically so I could buy some 22 ammo and they would only sell me one box (and they had lots), that would bug me. There is one Walmart store in GA that never did stop the ammunition quantity restriction on ammunition sales and I stopped buying anything from that store after Walmart ceased the policy.

Stockpiling is fine as long as you feel you may need it to continue your hobby. But I have found that I simply refuse to shoot up my cache when there are supply shortages.

 

[BuckRub]

I got 40 cal ammo for sale. Box of 50 for $100.00 a box. PM me if ya are needing some. Thanks

 

[North East Redneck]

I have always bought more than I need right now. That goes for ammo, food and gasoline etc etc. Over the past few years if I was planning to shoot 500 rounds of .22, I bought 1500 rounds. Bulk purchases of say 7.62X54 are much cheaper than purchasing a couple 20 round boxes. I have no problem sharing limited amounts of rounds with friends. I'm lucky, I make more than most of my friends do, and I've never asked them to pay me back in ammo or cash. That's what friends do. They take care of each other. Some of em have laughed at my spending on "stuff you don't need right now", they aren't laughing now.
I can feel for some of the newbies and those that have limited money to purchase hard to find ammo and guns. However, that is not my fault, and I'm not sorry I am able to purchase ammo or afford new guns. Many LGS around here have purchasing limits in place now. Wallmart was at six boxes, now they are down to three. That's fine. Spread the ammo to as many customers as possible. I don't like it, but I understand where they are coming from.
Personally, I don't sell ammo, and if I did it would only be to those I'm close with. Their price would be whatever the current cost is.
As far as hoarding, in a free market, I will buy what is available as long as the price fits what I'm willing to pay. That's not hoarding, that's free enterprise.

 

[bbqbob51]

Did an inventory today

I have bought next to nothing in the last 2 months, I bought my ammo over time and thought I was just keeping ahead of my usage. I was surprised I have as much rimfire and 9mm as I do. Does this make me a hoarder and....a bad person?
22LR: 6206
22MAG: 165
9MM: 1835 (45 HP)
38SPL: 1036 (50 HP)
.357MAG: 400 (98 HP)
.223: 840
20GA: 155 (35 BUCK)

TOTAL: 10562 ROUNDS

 

[huntinaz]

BbbqBob, you don't need that much ammunition. And you shouldn't buy any more until the shortage is over so other people can have some.

 

[22-rimfire]

I got 40 cal ammo for sale. Box of 50 for $100.00 a box. PM me if ya are needing some. Thanks

That barely qualifies as humor.

bbqBob, I'm surprised you actually counted it up. I am not that interested. But I can tell you that I have more than you do on hand (esp 22) and I don't need to count it.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I'm on the antihoarding + flipper side. Despite the philosophy of the free market, etc. - if you are staking out the local store at 4:00 AM to buy ammo to flip it - I have no need for you.

Very simple. You are hurting the normal class and competition flow for greed. Go get an extra job and work nights. Some of us do, if you want more money.

 

[bbqbob51]

22-Rimfire: "BbbqBob, you don't need that much ammunition. And you shouldn't buy any more until the shortage is over so other people can have some."
Yeah, my wife keeps telling me I don't need that much ammo and like I said I have bought next to nothing since December though I did pick up 4 boxes of PMC .223 ammo at Cabelas this past Saturday. They were stocking the shelves with literally hundreds of boxes just when I walked in. I couldn't resist as it was a reasonable $9.99 per box and when I checked out they scanned at $8.99.
I had the day off today and was organizing my stuff so I did the inventory check and as a result I feel I can rest easy so I'm not planning on buying anymore in the near future.

 

[44 AMP]

Well, all this talk has motivated me to take inventory. I began today. It will take a while. The last time I took inventory of my loaded ammo was 2005.

And back then, I only got through .22LR and handgun rounds before I quit, at something above 25K.

I've shot a bit since then, and I've bought a bit as well, having added 4 or 5 new calibers, and their ammo. This time, I'm going through it all, including components. Kind of curious now, to see what it totals up to...

No, I'm not interested in selling any at this time, thank you. ALSO, I'm not BUYING any ammo at this time, either. Thank you. You are all welcome to get what you can, I'm not hindering you, or making any inroads on the current supply in any way.

..was that friends, next door neighbors, closely associated coworkers or family who you have talked to who have NO ammo for a gun whatsoever

I don't have any of those. Sorry. The closest I have to someone like that is a friend who currently doesn't have any ammo for his .350 Rem Mag. But he has lots of other guns and lots of ammo for them. And I have dies and a few hundred cases for the .350, and he gave me a couple boxes of bullets, so he'll have ammo for that gun when he wants it.

Seriously, my social circle is small, and I actually do not know anyone who has any interest in guns that does not have at least basic minimum for their needs. Wants are a different matter, and generally we are going to wait for this panic to pass before going after future wants. And we do this voluntarily, so the rest of us can better see to their needs in this trying time.

I proudly thumb my nose at the flippers, speculatiors and peculators (ok, that last one is a crime), but I realize that since I do believe in capatalism, they have a right to make a buck. Personally, I hope lots of them get stuck with a big loss when the bubble bursts, but I won't cry for, or about them, either way.

As I said before, I do sympathize with the young folks, it toughest for them. But we will get past this, I do firmly believe. You folks just starting out, get something, and hang on to it, for now. Save the expansion of your desires for later. Like I said, I'll drive you to the hospital if you need to go (and there's no ambulance), but I won't give away my stuff just so you can play.

And I refuse to be belittled or insulted just because I took up shooting, reloading and collecting 40 years before you decided you had to have a gun and ammo to practice with.....