If the post-election gun and ammo buying hysteria isn’t proof of why preparedness is needed I don’t know what is. Gun sales have increased and many places, Internet and traditional, are reporting that they’ve been almost bought out of their stock. It’s this mad rush for suddenly (perceived) scarce resources that “preppers” try and avoid. All of this over something that has yet to happen, all of this based on what might happen, has sent people rushing for guns and ammo that have previously been available without question. Now think if this was something necessary to life, like food or water…do you remember Katrina?

The entire media spectrum have been reporting that sales of guns, ammunition, and accessories have increased. Many have been quoting an increase in sales by 10%. From a conversation with a friend that works in a popular gun store in my area, sales have been “crazy” to put in mildly. The day after the election they were sold out of most of their stock of weapons. Currently there is a multi-week backlog of orders for guns that have been paid for. Hell, Cheaper Than Dirt reported sales topping $100,000 a day. That’s a lot of panic buying.

Ammunition sales have been up too, ammo has become scarce in many places, particularly in common calibers such as .22lr; .223; 30-06; .308; 762×39; 9mm; .40; .45ACP; 12Ga and others. I have personally seen empty shelves in stores and many popular online ammo retailers are out of stock. Though Walmarts in my area seems to have stock and may be a place people want to look to first as I’d speculate that most people’s minds don’t immediately think of Walmart when they think of ammo. It’s easy to forget about that little sporting goods counter hidden in the back of the store.

Those two major items aside, we are left with Accessories, and in particular magazines. Magazine (They’re not clips!) inventory has been dried up in many places. The standard steel and aluminum AR magazines are scarce and high-end magazines such as Magpul Pmags are virtually non-existent. If any of these can be found currently, they are expensive and anyone buying them are either stupid or have cash to burn.

So how does preparedness play into all of this? Well, that’s an easy one. First, a gun is an essential and vital tool that anyone choosing a life of preparedness should have in his or her “bag of tools.” Therefore, any firearms that were deemed “needed” should have already been purchased and the necessary amount of magazines, ammo, and spare parts should have been obtained.

A careful and methodical analysis of a person’s needs by using the Capabilities Checklist would have addressed this and there would be no need for rush-buying of the above items. As a result of the rush buying, prices of gone up, some people have been price-gouging as well. After all people have been willing to pay and the market will adjust to what will be borne, all ethics aside of course. The sad thing in this is that many people will have chosen to place these ill-advised purchases on credit cards, furthering any current or future financial problems.

Of course I’m not advocating not to buy, but to wait to buy. This hysteria will pass in a few weeks and prices and supplies will return to normal rates. All that’s needed is patience. Buy when the storm has passed and things have returned to a calm state. Personally, I’m waiting and will remember those places that chose to price-gouge and will avoid them at all costs, I will also have no problems with letting others know why I’ve chosen to avoid particular establishments.

How can the preparedness-minded individual benefit from this situation? Well, being as insightful as remaining calm and logical allows us, we have the ability to be patient and not allow ourselves to be caught up in the fervor of the immediate. The preparedness-mined individual will avoid getting caught up in all this hysteria and wait for the calm to return. Then, when things are better, is going to go out and purchase those things with cash and at a lower price, maybe even at a discounted price because of a glut of inventory or from those individuals that made poor financial decisions and are now trying to unload their hasty purchase to raise cash to prop up a failing mortgage.

Some worry is founded. A democratic president has been elected that heavily favors oppressive gun control, gun laws will change. For know this new president has other fish to fry and I don’t think gun law is high on his list. Besides, the legislature is still the legislature and there isn’t going to be a sudden increase in the speed with which it operates.

- Mike

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