DUMB warfare....
What if some of the people hoarding masks and whatnot did so to make it harder for folks on the good side?
The N95 masks themselves are almost worthless for that kind of environment. You could use them for peripheral areas that might have residual haze, but depending on the size and ventilation system of the area being fought over and how protracted the fight is the major engagements are going to need either full face respiratory protection or supplied air from bottles.