I took economics in college, and I do know of the law of supply and demand. In normal situations yes, low supply + high demand = price increase. But your argument is missing a few key details. The s/d curve as it affects price is not so simple, there are many other factors that play into it. For one, will the product still be produced? Is this item a luxury or necessity? For example: No one cries foul when a M16A1 pre-1986 rifle is sold for over $25k. There is a finite supply that is available for the average citizen to purchase and that supply dwindles for each one the ATF destroys because it was "illegally" owned. So the high price on those items is understood. For something like ammo, that is just a temporary shortage, one could accept a small markup, but not to the levels some of these places are rising them. Do you see wal-mart charging $50 bucks for a 4 pack of Charmin? The supply of ammo will return as its made and sent to the distributors. The level that several websites and retailers have risen the price of ammo falls well outside the s/d chart, thats when it is called gouging. Especially on an item that is necessary for firearms to function.
You completely missed the point. Just stop. There is NO such animal as “Gouging”. It does NOT exist. It’s a made up term in order to try to employ ‘fairness’ through ‘guilt’ that someone is doing something wrong. If you’re a free capitalist, you simply cannot believe in this term and ideology in a fair, free market.