Course it centers around a state of emergency i.e. Hurricanes, etc. None-the-less for something that dont exist.. Im sure they had a valid reason for passing such law?
And it covers a very limited list of items - gasoline, water, plywood and similar and ONLY when a state of emergency has been declared. Your local Gander or LGS or similar is not selling those items, there is no state of emergency (Sandy areas excepted) and you do not have to have one or buy one from them
Right now, the highest gas price in the nation is in Orlando at ONE station where most rental car folks gas up - over $6.50 a gallon when three blocks away they are all selling for for $3.25/gallon - is this guy gouging? Nope, he has location location location in a non-emergency scenario - just like Gander. I have a GM where I live - I stopped asking for gift cards after the first time going there - their normal prices are retail +10%. Just like Cabela's, once they started building those big expensive "lodges", they had to cover the costs - they were both better priced as catalog stores.
Nonetheless, if you do not do your due diligence and get caught up in an impulse buy, and you later found out you paid more than you could have, it is not gouging - doesn't matter if it guns, cars, clothing, restaurants, or whatever. If they are selling at their asking prices, then they have the goods marked correctly, too high and nothing sells, too low and they run out too quickly. Besides it is easier to always lower prices and call it a sale, then it is to raise them because you priced an item too low.