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Vanishing Ammo - A Local Story

Ok, so I wanted to catch up on latest ammo news and ended up surfing the web; reading a few articles ranging from Government Conspiracy, to Doomsday Horders, and Intentional Manufacturer Production Delays, but nothing concrete or consistent. So I decided to get out into the real world and ask the question. I wanted to find out why our local Wal-Mart, BassPro, etc… couldn't keep ammo on the shelf. The answer was surprising and a little aggravating.

First stop, a larger "super center type outlet"...
I say, Do you get much ammo in here anymore?
Guy says, oh yeah, three to four shipments a week…nothing has changed.
I say, Wow, ok…so what happens when the ammo arrives?
Guy says, well...I hate to say it, but the local Gun & Pawn Shop owners, their employees, and some other “regulars” are always in here, first thing, first in line, waiting for us to shelve the stuff. They’re here everyday it seems, even when nothing comes in… say they sell it all online…it’s a shame they take it all, it's not right.

Ok, so I leave...and I’m starting to get a picture… Now, I head over to one of our local Gun/Pawn shops and ask the owner (whom I know) about it. He says, Damn right, oh I got it, I got plenty of ammo…just spent 25 thousand dollars on retail ammo and reselling it here at the store and online.... If I can keep it off the shelves at Wal-Mart, folks have to buy it from me... Just keeping the shelves empty scares the hell outta folks and keeps’em scrambling over here for more. I can get sixty-bucks for 100 rounds of 22lr here at the store and there’s no telling how long I can keep doing it with the ban scare and all.

Ok, hold on...so now I'm thinking maybe it’s not the government or the manufacturer’s as much as it may be a bit of our own fault… I concluded that since the initial demand for ammo began, many small businesses and even more illegitimate “regular Joe’s” realized that WE'LL PAY DAMN NEAR ANYTHING FOR AMMO. So with that in mind, and the fact that there is little to no regulation on the sale or shipment of ammo, guess what….an endless supply of "online" and "mom/pop" resellers have emerged to cash in on inflated ammo sales… NOW its making sense...so where does the average Joe go to buy affordable ammo to resell at 10 times the price???? Yep, you got it….Wal-Mart, Bass Pro, Dicks, etc… It seems that these giant outlets are now the "middle-men" and we are now at the mercy of hundreds who have nothing better to do but campout in Walmart in order to make a buck on those still willing to pay it.

So, I figure as long as we're willing to pay for it, these folks will be motivated enough to stand in line for it and keep the shelves at Wal-Mart empty so that we have yet another source for overpriced ammo. It makes sense that when you've got something in demand, you want to keep it in demand...and why not, they can make 500% on it, resonably obtain it (by getting up early and standing in line), and leave it unobtainable when they walk out...and to boot almost anyone can get away with reselling & shipping it…(legit or illegit)

So that's it, something to think about unless you've already thought about it. Since this outing, I havn't purchased ammo online from individuals or from individual's selling at auction...nor have I bought from our local Pawn Shop... I did however get lucky and picked up three boxes of 22lr at Wal-Mart yesterday (was there at 7am standing in line), no BS...go figure