If you don't prepare for times like these and didn't learn your lesson after Newtown then I've got zero sympathy for you. It's only going to get worse the close to the elections so you better buy what you can when you can.
As we get closer to election cycles, panic occurs. People panic buy ammo and firearms. It always starts with something.
When there was talk of a nation wide ban on magazines with standard capacities greater than 10 rounds, there was a run on every magazine out there. When there was talk of banning modern semi-automatic sporting rifles, there was a run on AR-15's, AK-47's, then everything else.
One type of 5.56 projectile
might be banned, and there's a run on all 5.56/.223 cartridges. I saw folks grabbing up any .223 ammo on the shelf without regard to price, projectile weight, projectile type, etc. It's silly. I've started to notice the 5.56/.223 panic is leaking over just a little bit to .308. I'm waiting for the panic to snowball again like the last time.
The Maine Event is right. If you haven't learned your lesson by now and get caught unprepared, then it sucks to be you. I don't want to hear whining about gun show price gouging, whining about retailers, whining about fellow firearms enthusiasts who prepared and calling them hoarders.
Those of us who learned:
1. Slowly built up enough ammo to support our habits for 18 months. I didn't go out and clear shelves. I didn't wait at a store for a truck to arrive. Over time, when ammo was plentiful, I bought an extra box here or there and set it aside.
2. Bought firearms before the a panic run. Usually there's lots of supply, low demand, driving prices low.
3. Saving our $$$ to buy unfired or slightly used firearms after the panic. They overextend to buy over priced firearms on credit. I had one buddy think he could buy a few guns on credit. When the ban happened, he would unload a few at a higher price to cover his total cost. Guess what happened to that fool when ban never materialized and the credit card bill came due?
There's lots of nice unfired or very lightly used firearms for sale after a panic. Lots of bargains to be had.