First Tucson area gun show in many months.

I went yesterday, and stood in line a half hour to pay. ($15.00, cash)

I saw Ammo and gun prices all over the place. Example: Winchester White box 9mm, 50 rounds, $80 and some people were paying that.

I found a 25 round box of Hornady .32 ACP JHP for $35. The only box I could find.

Two more gun shows are scheduled in Tucson for this summer, so maybe by then prices will come down to a reasonable level.

BTW, everyone had to wear a mask.

Why do people pay those prices? Are they really too lazy to shop for a better deal? I was in a LGS on Friday that had 500 rd packs of 9mm for $300. There was no line to buy them. I regularly get email alerts for ammo deals. Last one I jumped on was free shipping and no sales tax. I can't even imagine paying $15 to wear a mask and get gouged on ammo I then have to carry back to my car far away.

When you are out of ammo, it might not be too high. I bet the buyers don't waste ammo in the future. Well, at least till prices come down.

Another thing these prices and the shortage has done has caused most of us to take inventory. With 9mm, I stopped at 8,000. Then the next day I started counting reloading supplies. Was feeling pretty good until I realized I only had 4,000 small pistol primers. Was going to load up some .32 ACP for my youngest son, till it dawned on me he'd just shoot them up and want more. He's an adult, let him buy his own or learn to reload his own, finally.

The Japanese, at the start of WWII considered invading the west coast. Their head Admiral, Yamamoto I think, said it would be foolish. America is bristling with guns, there'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass. He hadn't considered the Biden strategy of "no ammo".

Back in the 1970s, we experienced the first ammo shortage in my lifetime. Oh, those were the Jimmy Carter years, too. I bought up every box of 22s I could find at farm sales. Foolish me, I still have the most interesting of them. About 10 years or so ago, I bought the table/swept the table, whatever, at a gunshow. Some old guy died (they've gotta die for me to get ammo) and he had dozens of boxes of 22s. Every brand and style you could imagine. I hauled them back to our table and one of my Pards asked why I bought them. Guess now I'm looking pretty smart except that I still have them.

When the main event happens (I croak), maybe my widow or sons will go to a show and sell all my crap the same way.