OK, this is getting ridiculous. It has been weeks since the Sandy Hook inspired panic took hold, and everything is still sold out. The above picture was taken at a local Bass Pro Shop when I was browsing and waiting to get into an opening night showing of Zero Dark Thirty. Not one month ago I walked past that same display and brushed my hand against the rippling waves of magazines. Also sold out are every single round of 5.56 ammunition in the store, which is making my review of a Leupold riflescope somewhat harder to complete. But here’s the kicker . . .
The magazines I expected to be gone. The ammo I was hoping to get lucky and catch them restocking, but I knew it was a long shot. This, however, was completely unexpected:
That top row is typically overflowing with boxes of .224 caliber projectiles for my reloading pleasure. And the aisle next to it is usually reminiscent of the powder magazine on the U.S.S. Constitution. But it’s all gone, every single round, every single projectile, every single flavor of rifle powder. Sold out.
The “easy to get” stuff I can understand selling out. It’s the low hanging fruit, the stuff everyone can use and get scared out of their minds about having the supply turned off. But no one has been talking about reloading supplies. It doesn’t even register in the minds of American politicians that its even possible, let alone that it needs to be regulated. So it surprised me to see it all gone, too.
This panic buying stuff is really starting to get annoying. My only hope is that everyone has bled their bank accounts dry so we can start to see some supply coming in to meet the demand. Because I need some more damned ammo, even if it means digging through the berm at the range for .224 projectiles.