You never know when the Gates of Hell will open ... What's your Zombie Plan???
Is all that hoarding out of fear - or are there other factors at work ??
Don’t know if it’s the same there, but here in Albuquerque the shelves are bare. Almost no ammo anywhere. Scary stuff. Can’t even get powder for reloading shotgun shells.
It is not hoarding. It is stockpiling. Hoarding is something that technically cannot be done until AFTER something is rationed.
Like when people were preparing beforehand for Y2K by stockpiling food and water. It isn’t hoarding. Preparedness is never hoarding. Trying to buy all the stuff up AFTER a disaster or something like that, THAT is hoarding.
And there are other factors at work. The demand for, and price of metals increasing is one. Trying to purchase at the current cost, expecting it to go higher later. People purchasing a valuable commodity for the future is another.
It’s also a better investment than stocks or bonds when the SHTF.
I am hoarding out of a plan.
In this day and age of just in time supply, those who feel at risk and can afford to, will build their own "use buffer" to eliminate any shock of a break in the supply chain.
I do the same thing with Diesel fuel to get through the summer holiday weekends and hurricane season.
The article calls it "stockpiling", correctly IMHO. Ammo goes fast. And you can use it for barter as well. Not my intent, but it's still possible.
Based on customer conversation at the two stores I frequently hang out at, it is 99% oscumbo.
The only other reasonable factor is economic-collapse protection. This factor is what caused me to stock up in the late 90's (and, again, after 9/11). Gold and 9mm for purchasing power. For everything else, 7.62, .223, .22, .45, and 12ga.
It wasn't until 2007, when it became obvious that the marxists would win the 2008 election that I began adding to that existing stock. Fortunately I reached my strategic goal before the ammo shortage and concurrent price hikes.
You never know when the Gates of Hell will open ... What's your Zombie Plan???
It’s not fear for many of us but preparation.
No, we are unafraid.
If they could be without fear at Valley Forge and at Yorktown, we would rightly be ashamed to show our faces if we were afraid now.
Apparently this BHO’s only stimulus plan that has worked... albeit unintentionally. :)
There is no conspiracy here.
Demand is simply outstripping supply. There are really only a few manufacturers of components (bullets, primers, shells, powder), there are really only a few manufacturers of completed ammo, and they are all running full-bore non-stop 24/7. There is only so much manufacturing capacity. Any attempt to increase capacity will probably cost an enormous amount, and only come on-line when the bubble bursts & demand settles back down to normal (if not much less, as personal stockpiles start getting used up & sold off). Between two wars and a large fraction of the population turning paychecks into cases of ammo, demand is simply huge. It’s just another economic bubble at work: demand & prices getting into a race until the bubble pops.
As for “why?”: ammo is one of the few durable investments one can truly own. There is inherent value therein, it has continuing demand (being a consumable), it is shelf-stable & durable, supply is fairly stable, the value per volume is reasonably high, it can easily be traded in quantities comparable to daily costs, and the price will likely continue upwards indefinitely. In a time when few other investments are viable, ammo will hold up both physically & financially in the long term.
I'm reminded of a scene with Nicolas Cage in "Red Rock West". Cage hides on top of a truckers cab and startles the trucker. The trucker stops the truck, grabs a large revolver, and points it at Cage. Cage says, "I'm sorry if I scared you". The trucker responds, "DO I LOOK SCARED?".
In short, you might consider that some are motivated by ANGER and not FEAR. Anger that our Constitution is just so much toilet paper in the hands of the Democrats. Anger that what passes for "rights" now are mostly "entitlements", given not by our Creator, but by government. Anger that the rule of law will now be sacrificed for "empathy" on our Supreme Court.
Fear. Or you could call it a realistic assessment of our new ruler. If I could afford, and get, 5 times what I have on hand, I'd buy it tomorrow.
The real question is this: When they come for our weapons and ammunition, and they will, what will be our response?