Remember back when all the sporting goods stores ran out of ammunition, under that wonderful American (or not) President, Barack Obama? I remember it well, because I had a hard time finding ammo just to use for target practice. I remember the prices being jacked up as well. It was a trying time for gun owners and gun enthusiasts across the land. And why do you suppose this was going on?
Quite simply, the people were afraid 'lawmakers' were going to bring about eventual gun confiscation...OR...make it impossible to purchase things such as ammunition altogether. Neither prospect is very good for supporters of the Second Amendment. The bottom line here is that people went out and cleared the shelves of bullets, because they thought they weren't going to be able to get anymore - and (here's the kicker), they thought there might come a day where they'd be forced to use a lot of those bullets.
Now, I am not here to say whether that was warranted fear or not; that is a topic for another day. But I am here to point out the fact that what we see now, in the crazed panic over the dreaded COVID-19, can explain all the hoarding and buying up of toilet paper!
In other words, the people are afraid they're going to be stuck in a situation, where as much as they don't want to have to do it, they will be stuck at home, nowhere else to go...afraid That they will have to use all that toilet paper!
Now when we stop and slow down; when we look into the statistics...perhaps, we can see a little bit of the irrationality in this. To be in the position where I have to use the vast amounts of toilet paper that has filled grocery carts across the nation, one would have to be stuck in their own house for MONTHS! In similar fashion, in order to have to use all the ammunition that some people have stocked up (probably some folks STILL have some from the fun Obummer years; especially if it was the high dollar hollow point stuff, and not just target ammo), one would have to be in a virtual showdown and gunfight with a SWAT team. Again, I am not saying that is an impossibility - but that's not my point.
The point is, what do you think happens when people go into a frenzy like this? What connection to the outside world do most people have, to find out if 'it's safe to go back out there?'
That's right folks; the media. The television. The internet. And who benefits from you tuning in, to the point that millions and millions of people are checking up on the 'Crisis?' The same people...the news folks who get off on the sheer sensationalism of it all!
Sure, I might get a little attention if you read this - but I am just offering a little perspective here. I certainly won't get the attention of MILLIONS. But the big news stations...the big news sites... even some newspapers? They will make sure to have your attention.
Don't get me wrong; potential pandemics can be serious, and precautions should be taken. I am glad certain large scale public gatherings are being canceled. That's good in many ways... unless of course it's, say, something like a Trump rally (hmmm).
Now I won't even get into the political ramifications here - but perhaps, we should all just take a deep breath, slow down, and be glad that maybe there are just a few of us who do not have the virus just yet - and maybe we can all stop worrying so much about our toilet paper and bullets.
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