JaPes
Member
Here we go again.
No such thing as price gouging. It's the economic fallacy of perceived emergencies that aren't emergencies. The flaw is in the consumer, not the retailer. It's the consumer's perception of an emergency that causes the issue. Human beings are by nature social creatures. We get along with dogs because dogs run in packs. Humans run in packs. Dogs perceive humans to have a similar enough pack behavior to dogs to make a human pack a good substitute. What happens when a human pack perceives an emergency that really isn't there?
We live in a capitalist economy. Items will sell at retail at the highest price that the market will support, a.k.a. the highest price at which some fool is willing to pay for it. The graph above illustrates the relationship between supply, demand, and price.
If I were operating an ammunition retail operation, any outrageous shift in supply or demand isn't good for my business. If the typical supply is high, prices go low, people feel no overriding need to buy the product. If the typical supply is low, the price is high, limiting the amount of people who can afford to buy. I want everything to be nice and steady.
From a retail operator perspective, the current run on anything .223/5.56 hurts business. All of a sudden supply of ammo is disrupted. I can't get anymore. I need to stay in business, and can't rely on a steady stream of customers buying a steady supply of ammo. I have to raise prices on what I have because I don't know when I'll get more. I have to keep the operation running. I have employees relying on me to stay in business and keep payroll running. I have the same overhead costs. Panic runs on any consumable commodity is a bad thing.
In a genuine emergency then price gouging on basic commodities is definitely a bad thing. A genuine emergency would be a geographically regional disaster: Hurricane, earthquake, tornado, volcano eruption, blizzard, or man-made disaster. Then price gouging on food, fuel, and basic supplies is morally reprehensible.
Hurricane strikes:
Gas station decides to sell fuel at $100/gallon. That's wrong.
Food mart decides to sell a loaf of bread at $50. That's wrong.
Local pharmacy sells insulin at 10X the price. That's wrong.
Right now there's no genuine emergency. There is a perceived emergency. Even then, it's not all .223/5.56 ammo. It's just one projectile type. I think any ban is hoorible. I don't justify a ban. BUT... if the human lemmings would just stop to take a breath to put the perceived emergency into perspective, there wouldn't be a run.
My opinion is that ammunition isn't a basic commodity, that is subject to spoilage, that I need to sustain my life. I choose not to pay the artificially high price caused by a false panic. Food, medicine, fuel for heat, water. Those things I absolutely can not live without.
We live in a panic prone world. I'm not saying go and become a hard-core doomsday prepper. What I am saying is that it is a good idea to insulate yourself from panic cycles by building up your own personal supply of consumable commodities. Build up a supply that fits your particular situation. My emergency supplies are all on one shelving unit in my basement.
I have a small supply of ammo. I have a couple shelves of foodstuffs that do not require refrigeration. I have a few cases of water. I keep a little bottle of iodine to purify water. I keep a couple bottles of vitamins. I keep a small wood pile for my fireplace. I keep enough on hand so that I can keep my mind focused on dealing with a true emergency while others are panicking.
