Are people panic buying guns again?

Yesterday evening I went to one of the big box outdoors stores. I was looking to pick up some 9mm and .22 for my next range trip. I won't say which one it is other than the fact that it wasn't Dicks Sporting Goods since I would never shop there. As I was looking around I noticed that there were hardly any AR style rifles there at all.

I thought this is a little unusual as the last time I went there were AR's everywhere but this time there were probably less then 10 and they were the higher end more expensive stuff. They had plenty of long guns and some inexplicable Mosin Nagants and G3 clones but even the handguns seemed like they were picked clean. Though there were still plenty of guns, there weren't as many as I am used to seeing.

Is this just one local store or something or are people panic buying again? I checked the NICS report for the last couple months and though there was a pretty big uptick after the 2018 midterms, where the Democrats took the house, but since the new year it's been steady at around 2 million checks.

I know some states did pass some new laws during the last election, but none of those laws happened in my state. There doesn't seem to be any major reason to panic buy, other than general discontent and worry about new laws down the line.

I guess it could just be in my head. It's been awhile since I went to a sporting good store and I haven't checked the others in the area. The store I went to did just have a major sale so it's possible that they just got cleaned out and spring seems to be a busy time for gun stores in general if the NICS report is anything to go on. It's very possible that it could just be in my head as there wasn't really anyone actually buying guns last night.

I just hope that we aren't entering another panic buying session. I remember the bad old days in 2012 after Sandy Hook. I purchased my first pistol around then and was extremely frustrated that I couldn't find 9mm range ammo (or even hollow points) for it. Indeed, it almost came back to haunt me because the one time I felt I actually needed a firearm to potentially defend myself, all I had was an empty 9mm and my old Lee Enfield. That won't happen again since at the very least I have a few hollow points which I never take to the range but it would be nice if I can keep buying 9mm and .22 for practice and fun.