Even though we don’t deal in ammunition, I get calls almost daily about .22lr ammo. “You don’t happen to have some .22lr in stock, do you?” Most of the time—like 90 percent of the time—it’s from a father who simply wants to take his kids out shooting for the afternoon. You know, teach them how to safely handle a firearm and develop a love for shooting.

Unfortunately, a comparatively small number of people are ruining what used to be an American tradition. All for the sake of a quick $20. These gougers seem to have nothing better to do with their time than to loiter around their local Walmart all day, waiting for somebody to put some .22lr on the shelf. As soon as they—and their two unemployed brothers-in-law—get their daily allotment of .22lr, they turn around and sell it on local firearms websites at a 100% to 200% markup.

Now there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a buck. We do it every day. Most of us do. But there is something morally wrong in my opinion with continuing to perpetuate this artificial “shortage” of .22lr ad nauseum. All for the sake of a few measly bucks. They are literally ruining the American tradition of teaching your kids how to respect and safely shoot a firearm.

So what can we do? Everyone who reads this article can pledge to not buy from the local gougers. If we all make a concerted effort, we can end the “shortage” quickly. As soon as the gougers stop making their easy couple of bucks, they’ll move onto something else. Hopefully something a little more morally straight. We’ll all see .22lr on the shelves again—at sane prices. And we’ll be able to continue once again teaching our kids about the enjoyment of shooting.

Rant over,

Marty