Reader David B. writes:
For some time, I have been pondering where all the .22 ammo is going. Our Wal-Mart gets a small shipment every Wednesday and our Dick’s Sporting Goods gets a minuscule amount every Thursday. Surely, I thought, the ammo has to be going somewhere. Well, I have confirmation that it most definitely is. It has been stockpiled by RETAILERS for the past several months in anticipation of Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season . . .
We, the gun owning public, have been tools used by the corporate execs to drive business at their stores and up the foot traffic as we search for a few rounds to shoot every week. The .22 shortage, for all intents and purposes, has been deliberately created–not by the ammo hoarding public or by the ammo manufacturers, but by the retailers. I noticed that Dick’s has a huge amount of .22 ammo for sale on Black Friday. They are advertising nationwide 525 rd bricks for $19.99. Gander Mountain is advertising that each of their stores will have a minimum of 1000 boxes–limit 10 per customer. Cabela’s is offering 300 round boxes for $16.99. Bass Pro is offering 500 rd bricks for $25.
This all adds up to these major chains exploiting gun owners and ultimately hurting the shooting sports. I am not calling for a boycott of these stores, but it sure does tick me off.