By Larry Keane, National Shooting Sports Foundation

The latest Internet rumor has George Soros owning “most of the ammunition manufacturing companies and many arms manufacturers as well.” It goes on to suggest that Soros and his few remaining competitors are selling new production only to the government, while the civilian market has been relegated to a fast-disappearing stock of old ammunition.

If you’re like me, you check the ammunition shelves in every retailer you visit, and we all have felt the sinking feeling of seeing nothing but empty shelves. The trend is especially acute at the “Big Box” stores where speculators check every day to see if new shipments have arrived overnight. The gaps in the current ammunition supply are frustrating — but they are not a conspiracy.

Here’s the bottom line. George Soros does not own ANY manufacturers of ammunition or firearms. No manufacturer of either guns or ammunition has been ordered by the government to limit or alter its supply channels. All manufacturers are trying their best to catch up to this market, but it’s a simple matter of supply vs. demand. There is way too much demand for manufacturers to meet with supply. There is not enough tooling, infrastructure or raw materials at the ready anywhere in the entire world to keep up with current consumer demand. And that’s why we are seeing shortages.

That begs the second question of why demand is so excessive. Part of the reason is the prevalence of scare-mongering rumors on the internet. The solution to that is not to forward them along, but to communicate with your elected lawmakers and urge them to vote against the pointless new restrictions on our rights that are under debate in Congress and many state legislatures. If we can restore rational debate, then demand will fall back to within manageable levels, and manufacturers can catch up and restore supply.

Don’t be fooled by scare-mongering. Instead, make your voice heard and send a message to your elected lawmakers.