but a few (many millions) of new firearms owners coming on line for the first time. If there were just 2 million new firearms sold, and that's a way low figure, and each new owner picked up just a hundred rounds for their new found passion, well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where a big bunch of it went.
That could explain the ammo issue. How many folks became reloaders though? I can't help but think that with the prolonged shortage of primers, powder, and bullets that the reloading folks are doing some serious hoarding. I would be too to the capacity my checkbook would allow (which would be real small potatoes type hoarding) but there is none to be had out there that I can find.