.22 magnum and LR ammunition

Question
Hi,
Over the past month, I have visited 4 or 5 WalMarts looking for ammo.  The section labeled .22 is completely out in all of them, and the sales attendant just says the warehouse is out.  Is there some reason you are aware of why it would be out of stock in all these stores?  By coincidence, I have traveled to several states--Florida, Texas and Colorado, so these stores are spread out.
Art

Answer
Unfortunately, it's just an issue of supply and demand. People afraid of an ammunition shortage, buy up everything that becomes available. I've seen the cycle before: the mfg companies will ramp up to meet the demand, eventually everyone will stock pile enough to satisfy them, and then there will be an abundance with coordinately falling prices.

As with all markets, this one is impossible to time. My advice, though, would be that once it becomes available again, buy a box every now that then to store, so that when it hits again (it will - this is the third time in my adult life I've seen it happen) you won't have to scramble to find ammunition.

National Shooting Sports Foundation has debunked some of the urban legends about the availability (e.g. "The Government is buying it all up"). Here's a story from the American Rifleman.

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/why-weve-had-ammunition-shortage