What plan do you think will work to coordinate this effort? Is there a good day that we could fill every Wal Mart sporting goods department with enough people to block other purchasers that wouldn't turn the whole thing against us? What day would that be, or are we suggesting we do this for an entire week?
While this needs to bought to attention on a national level. It is the local level that people can get organized. For instance the point was bought up that if we go ahead with this. The scalpers would know what we are up to.
In one sense that is the idea, that we are going to take back the ammo from the scalpers and beat them at their own game.
It is one thing if the shelves actually had a few boxes for customers to buy and the rest are being sold on Craig's List. But to walk in and you cannot even buy just one box of ammo because the people who waited in line bought whatever ammo there was and turned around and sold it at the LGS or online for double or triple the price. What other solution is there? Take off from work and wait in line in order to buy ammo? Wait till it gets better? Pay double at the Local Gun Store? Travel two hours to the nearest Cabelas?
The other sense or way to go about this is to get people from various areas coordinate various times when they will go to Walmart or Dicks or whatever else place to wait in line.
A set hour say at 5:00 pm nationally would not work. Comments here on THR and elsewhere say that Walmart (for instance) gets their trucks in at various times. Here locally, the Walmart truck gets in around 8:00 PM at night according to the salesperson in Sporting Goods. However just a few months ago the truck was supposed to come in around 4:00 PM. Others have reported that the truck gets in earlier during the day in their area. So for the time, it would have to be coordinated locally. It is not just Walmart. I have heard from friends in Ohio who told me everyone waits outside of Dicks Sporting Goods for the truck to arrive and then it is a mad rush to get the sporting goods aisle.
By coordinating everything at a regional level but with a National message is the key. People from various regional gun clubs, gun forums, can band together and organize these events.
One of the ideas is to get a couple trusted members to wait inline for others who are at work 'when the truck comes in' and
wait in line for them. Again this could be done among friends, gun clubs and local gun forums. Get together get a list of ammo that is needed say one box a person for the person on the list, another box for another person on the list and the person waiting in line gets a box of ammo for themselves. This could be done voluntarily and no financial incentive given. Kind of like 'you help me I'll help you' and so on.
While I see reports that in some areas 'it is getting better'.... However I recall 2008 and 2009 was nothing like this. And even at the height of that 'panic'...there was still some ammo on the shelves. I remember .380 was in short supply. it wasn't all that long before things got better. On the other hand since mid Dec 2012 (going on 3/4 of the year) we have had ammo in very short supply, I don't recall it ever being this way. And I'm not sure anyone else does either.
As for the day to "Take Back Ammo Day". I think the local groups would be in better position to come up with a consensus. I could say the second Saturday of every month as just something to start with, would that solve anything?
How about the first Monday of every week? By being a weekly event more ammo will get into more peoples hands than now. And the scalpers will still have their 6 days a week to make their 'profit'. Of course more organized local groups can make this happen two or three times a week.
Another way to make this more attractive...start a 'buying ammo' co-op...make it for profit. Charge $1 surcharge for each box to get ammo through the co-op. It would go to those who wait in line and for their gas to get there and for the co-op. It won't be gouging and $1 extra a box would not break anyone and you would have a better chance to get ammo and help out your local gun owners in the process.
Other themes could be maybe a $10 monthly fee to join the co-op and have bulk ammo buying group. I think some gun clubs do group buys on bulk purchases of ammo.
Another simpler way (and less organizational approach) is to buy a box of ammo for someone willing to wait in line to pick up ammo for you. It still is less expensive than paying two or three times what the LGS, gun shows and online auction sites are selling it for.
Your thoughts... ?
