TexasCHLforum.com

The ammo shortage is a result of a “perfect storm” that includes increased demand from the flood of new shooters and the changing shooting habits of existing shooter, the increased demand caused by the very real attempts by the state and federal government to restrict ammo purchases/possession, increased world-wide tensions resulting in preparatory ammo purchases by numerous governments, the continued U.S. war footing (including a depletion of the National Reserve of ammo) that guarantees massive Government ammo purchases for the foreseeable future, the exhaustion of massive WW2 and Cold War surplus ammo caches in Europe the drastic increase in demand for baseline manufacturing commodities like lead and copper, necessary for ammunition production, from countries like China and India and probably a couple of factors I have totally overlooked.

Whenever I read that everything would be just ducky if we all only bought only what ammo we needed instead of a case, it reminds me of where that thinking comes from: Jeder nach seinen Fahighkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedurfnissen!” (From each according to his ability, to each according to his need) That rollicking Karl Marx! Now we see posts from shooters who always picked up a single box of ammo at Wally-World on the way to the Saturday match now bitterly attack “hoarders” who have made this stupid practice impossible; other shooters who explain how they have refused to take up reloading because it is 1) expensive, 2) boring and 3) takes a lot of time and now those damn hoarder’s have ruined it for them.

My definition of a “hoarder” is someone who was smarter than you. Given the current vicious meme about ammo hoarders what does this tell us should the feces really hit the fan? How quickly do you think your neighbors, your friends, your relatives, will turn on you about the “hoarded” food in your basement, your “hoarded” medical supplies, that “Hoarded” Big Berkey water filter you bought to guarantee your family’s fresh water or the solar panels you’re “hoarding” on your roof? We are a nation of grasshoppers who like to tell ourselves we’re ants right up until the point that we’re tested on the very things that ants do. And keep in mind that a horde of locust can quite literally overwhelm a country.

For years I and many other people have talked about the necessity of taking responsibility for the safety of ourselves and those under our care. We have urged everyone to simply follow the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared!
For those of you bemoaning those damn ammo hoarders, what did you thin “Be Prepared!” actually meant?