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Here is something to ponder before you go crying about price gouging. I am only a part-time FFL but I have seen some of what you describe from another perspective. In early December I could find just about anything I wanted at the dsitributors. Some things are notoriously hard to get (like Colt 1911's, anything Kel-Tec etc.) but for the most part I could order and have whatever my customers needed in 1-5 days. This included ammo, reloading supplies etc. Now, there is very little in stock and what comes in stock is either allocated (i.e. the salesman have a certain amount given to them to distribute among their customers. Normally the customers that buy the most from them get the allocated stuff. This makes it real hard for the little guys to get anything) or gone within minutes of being listed.
Now, think about your local, small gun shop. They have a limted amount of money to keep firearms in stock. As they sell some they order more to keep their inventory. The more gun stores there are the better prices for the consumer due to competition. Now that there is a shortage, once that gun store sold their inventory there is nothing available to buy. Once there is no more inventory how does this business pay employees, pay utilities and survive? So the owner has a decision to make. Does he increase prices to make enough profit to pull through this crunch or sell at his prices previous to this mess and close down when he has nothing to sell? The larger chains have other products to keep them alive, they do not survive on firearm and ammo sales.
I was going to buy a Glock 20 for a customer who needed one. When I logged into my distributor they had over 99 of these (any amount over $99 they list as 99). Withing 10 seconds, the time it took for me to place one in my basket and check out, they were all gone and I did not get one. Gun stores are buying anything they find just to have something in stock when you come by to shop. The larger buyers are not having it as hard since they get preference due to past purchases.
My business is now mainly transfers for people selling or buying online now due to the frenzy. I get phone calls and e-mails every day of people asking for things I cannot get. Some manufacturers raised prices (Century raised the wholesale price on the C93 $200) due to demand. I have not seen any 9mm, .223 or 22LR (well, unless you want the match grade stuff that is $15 per box of 50) in stock since December at any of my disitributors. If this is what it is like for me then how are the small brick and mortar gun shops surviving? I have about 12 different distributors to buy from and none of them have anything worthwhile. Would you prefer they sell everything they had at old market prices and close down for good? Maybe they have to increase prices to survive. If your local grocery store had no food to sell how long would they stay open? Firearm profit margins are low, normally 5-8% from what I see. The market is very competitive and no gun store will survive unless they raise prices. New Frontier Armory raised price on teh LW-15 from $109 MAP to $169. Should I sell the lowers at the old pricing and lose money just to make people happy or to make them think I am not price gouging? If I ever get P-Mags should I sell them for $15 each knowing it may be months before I get anymore or should I sell them for a little more and make some profit while I have something to sell? The couple of times I find inventory that people want should I sell at last years prices and lose money every month trying to pay my regular bills (internet, insurance, credit card processing fees etc.) while not making money? How do you think it is for the guys making their living off of this?
Some guys are gouging, $69 for a PMag is price gouging. The real problem is that demand is high and people are paying $1200 for a Bushmaster Carbon 15, $7500 for 100 P-Mags, $2000 for an Arsenal AK etc. People are buying ammo in calibers they do not even use due to the panic. People are paying three times what a rifle is worth due to fear they will never ever be able to buy one again. People are paying $1 or more per round for .223/5.56 ammo. The consumers are the main problem by driving up demand. The less items available and the more people are willing to pay the higher the prices. If you think prices are too high do not buy, nobody is making you pay $70 for one PMag. Nobody made me trade $100 in rifle ammo for $50 of 22LR but I wanted some and was willing to pay what it is going for.
So, think about the market from the retailers side and stop paying too much for what is available. Prices will come down eventually.