Nothing artificial about overbuying. Again, I don't consider the situation a "shortage" as the manufacturers have all along produced sufficient amounts for the market. It is a case of "overbuying", not artificial but a purposely fabricated buying spree, aka "panic"; "panic; a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behavior, and that often spreads quickly through a group of persons or animals."...

Perhaps personnel layoffs and factory closings have caused part of the shortage, but very few manufacturers work on a "just in time" manufacturing system (products are manufactured and delivered for the buyers use without any stocking. Products arrive just in time for use). The ammo and reloading component inventories disappeared almost overnight, inventories from months of "pre-panic" manufacturing, so the lay offs and closures will affect us more later, once all the distributor's warehouses are empty...