There is a hording mentality that can take over.
I bought and stockpiled by the case because of high volume shooting, and because that's the cheapest way to buy, ordinarily, per round. Just so happens that those who are in that practice are also well situation come times of high prices and shortages. They just have to quit the high volume shooting to get through those times, or switch, for the most part, to black powder, pellet guns, and rimfire (which, regarding pellets and rimfire, one can stockpile in high volume in a relatively small space, so most who stockpile ammo have bunches of it).
