I actually disagree with this move by the TX AG, and here's why ...
I see the "price gouging" laws as a means to control pricing of things which are necessities in times such as a state of emergency. Things like ... gasoline prices right after a hurricane. Or price of food items during a blizzard. Etc ... In these circumstances, I can see the fundamental concept of not allowing price price gouging. (I believe in fair market pricing, but these are high-stress, short duration events where the market could not respond quickly enough to bolster supply prior to the emergency). When the supply chain is devastated and has to be supplemented by outside influence, such as bringing gas or milk in from other regional areas, it makes sense to keep things calm with regulation.
Firearms and ammo (in this specific example of what CTD is providing; that of web-based bulk sales) are not life essential necessities, nor is this pandemic a "short term" thing. This topic of accusing CTD of price gouging is a far stretch IMO. No one is forcing a customer to buy from CTD. Think of these points ...
- CTD isn't the only supplier to the area (that "area" being anywhere they'd something ship to in the US, just like any other 'net supplier)
- CTD didn't force anyone into a condition of sales pressure; you're free to buy from anywhere you want
Yeah, I know some of you are going to say that a gun/bullet might save a life by defending someone from an intruder, a mugger, a murderous neighbor. But that's not what's going on here. No one is buying a 1000-rnd case of 5.56 ammo to ward off an intruder as he's beating on the door. No one is paying $3000 for a carbine AR-style rifle because they have a legit fear of a rapist who's behind them walking in a dark parking lot. Your wife isn't going to be on her smart phone shopping for .45ACP ammo rather than calling 911, is she???? This is essentially a topic of hoarding market pressure, not life saving market pressure.
Are you just as mad that the cost of hobby-craft supplies have gone up absurdly high??? Are you demanding or applauding your state AG go after some of the hobby retailers also??? My wife is into "crafts" (scrap booking, card making, etc) and she's made it well known to me that all the supplies (glue sticks, glitter, paint-pens, card-stock paper, etc) have gone WAY, WAY up. And she's shown me some websites with freakishly super-high pricing. The pandemic has caused people to stay home and so home-hobby items are up, and there are some marketers taking advantage of the sales opportunity. Are you (pardon the pun) "up in arms" over that issue???? My wife can easily find decent (admittedly elevated, but not grossly so) supplies if she just shops around a little. There are market choices that are not obscenely inflated. She's not forced into buying her supplies at those obscene prices, so she avoids them.
CTD not causing folks to buy from them in a sense that the consumer has zero choice here. The consumer isn't at risk of life/limb if they don't buy from CTD. Gas, food, water are essentials in the moment of crisis, but it only applies to where you are physically standing. If you're stuck in a hurricane-stricken area, you likely cannot get away from the problem; you can't get gas, so you can't leave. You need food/water to survive. This is why pricing gouging laws exist; to prevent the practice of stripping life away from people when they are most vulnerable. But that doesn't apply at all to CTD. I SERIOUSLY doubt any one of their customers was in a life/death emergency when sitting at their keyboard, buying their 7th case of 9mm ammo, or 14th gun to shove into the safe. AND, there were plenty of market suppliers who also offered those very same items at lesser cost, at the very same time, and were willing to ship the items to the consumer; the consumer wasn't forced into using CTD the same way a Quicki-Mart forces a buyer of gas to pay exorbitant prices when the fuel-gauge is on "E".
It's my belief that luxury items should not be subject to price gouging laws; they're not a necessity and if some fool wants to be parted from his/her money at one particular retailer, that's his/her business. The staples of life (food, fuel, water and such) are understandably controlled during a state of emergency. But guns/ammo over a 15 month period? Those are NOT the same topics.
- life essential items, during a true emergency, in a physical location not easily served, should be governed by pricing gouging laws
- non essential items, over a long period of time, where the supply chain offers a wide range of prices from multiple retailers, and those products can reach the customer easily via web-based services, isn't life-threatening at all ... this isn't a reason to apply "price gouging" laws
The market should decide and punish the offender here, not the government.