I see piles of .40 S&W in every store, but little of anything else. Where’s the damn .22 LR? Did the military buy .22 conversion kits for all their M16s?
The Air Force has been doing that for ages.
Years ago when there was a shortage of 5.56 ammo, we got .22 adapter kits and trained with that caliber.
My theory is that folks buy any they can find because:
1. Centerfire can be reloaded, bullets cast or swaged. When your stash of .22 LR runs out that's it.
2. Lots of folks who aren't "gun people" see what the leftists are trying to do and had Grandpa's .22 in the closet and those that didn't bought a .22 'cause it's cheap, light recoil and a hell of a lot better than a sharp stick and harsh words.