No thanks to the MSM, but publicized by conservatives blogs like FOTM, more and more Americans now know that civilian bureaucracies of the federal government, especially the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are amassing an arsenal of shotguns and hollow-point bullets that are designed to expand as they enter the body, causing maximum damage by tearing apart internal organs.
First, it was the Department of Education buying shotguns in March 2010. Then in March 2012 came news that the DHS ordered 450 million rounds of .40 caliber ammunition. The next month, April 2012, it was the USDA buying 300,000 rounds of ammo. In July 2012 came news that the DHS added high-powered battle rifles to its arsenal. On August 8, 2012, the DHS ordered over half a ton of high explosives. On August 10, 2012, the DHS put in an order for even more ammunition – hundreds of millions of rounds. On August 15, 2012, the Social Security Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also put in their orders for tens of thousands of hollow-point bullets.
These federal agencies must have heard from alarmed citizens because they are now vociferously tamping down speculation over the ammo purchases.
FoxNews.com reports, August 17, 2012, that Infowars.com speculated that the ammo purchases were being made in preparation for “civil unrest,” imagining a scenario of economic collapse where seniors could cause “disorder” if denied their Social Security benefits. So the federal agencies are now trying to allay public fears and apprehension over the ammo purchases by assuring the American people that the ammunition is “standard issue” and simply used for mandatory federal training sessions.
A message on the official blog for Social Security’s inspector general office explained that their agents need firearms and ammo in the course of training, investigations and responding to threats against offices and employees: “Our special agents need to be armed and trained appropriately. As we said in a recent post, our office has criminal investigators, or special agents, who are responsible for investigating violations of the laws that govern SSA’s programs.”
The agency said it has 295 special agents across 66 offices in the country. “These investigators have full law enforcement authority, including executing search warrants and making arrests,” the statement said.
As for concern about the type of bullets — hollow points, which expand upon impact — the statement said the type is “standard issue” and is used during “mandatory quarterly firearms qualifications and other training sessions.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, found itself scrambling to respond to a similar report this week about an order for 46,000 rounds of ammo. Though the agency initially indicated it was for the National Weather Service — leading to questions about why the National Weather Service could possibly need so many bullets — a spokesman clarified the bullets are actually meant for the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement. A “clerical error” resulted in the order saying the ammo was for the weather service.
Spokesman Scott Smullen said the error’s been fixed in the bidding system. He, too, said the ammo is “standard issue” and will be used by 63 enforcement personnel at NOAA during qualifications and training sessions.
“NOAA officers and agents enforce the nation’s ocean and fishing laws to ensure a level playing field for fishermen and to protect marine species like whales, dolphins and turtles,” he said.
According to NOAA, the specialized agents are supposed to have 200 rounds in their “duty bag,” and qualification and training requires another 500-600 rounds per agent.
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I say the more transparency about what government does, the better. I also heard from the grapevine that some of DHS’s gun and ammo purchases is due to DHS having a seemingly unlimited budget. So the DHS turns around and simply gives some of its arms purchases to local police across America.
What concerns me about this are:
- Why is the DHS so flushed with cash when the federal government is $16 trillion in debt?
- Will the DHS’s “largesse” to local police at the expense of taxpayers lead to local law enforcement feeling beholden and increasingly dependent on the federal government?
- These ammo purchases by federal agencies will drive up the price of guns and bullets for citizen consumers.
~Eowyn
Perhaps the chronically hysterical should pay more attention to more rational sources and less to the distortions and exaggerations of infowars and prisonplanet. The NRA has put these purchases in proper perspective.
http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2012/federal-law-enforcement-agencies-buy-ammunition.aspx
” ….For instance, the Social Security Administration solicited offers for 174,000 rounds of pistol ammunition. But the agency has 295 special agents who combat Social Security fraud that costs tax payers billions each year, so the order works out to roughly 590 rounds of ammunition per agent for training, mandatory quarterly qualification shooting and duty use. More than a few NRA members would use that much ammunition in a weekend shooting class or plinking session. … ”
Likewise, the same NRA release puts those 740,000,000 rounds of DHS ammo in proper perspective: “… If DHS were to purchase all 450 million rounds over 5 years, then that would equate to only about 1,384 rounds of ammo per year per law enforcement [officer] … Considering those agents go through training exercises several times per year, that is not a lot of ammunition. … .”
To put that in further perspective, a private, civilian firearms instructor located 50 miles north of me is offering a two day advanced handgun course. Students are advised to bring a minimum of 800rds.. Another such instructor here in my home town, http://www.blackopsschoolofcombat offers three levels of advanced training for civilians with each course requiring AT LEAST 500rds. Those are civilian firearms courses. Doesn’t it make sense to expect federal professional officers to train to at least that level?
When I took firearm training, we used practice ammunition, not the real stuff. Why don’t they do the same at these agancies? Just thinking!
If memory serves me, in Korea we were told the only legal ammunition was the jacketed type. Hollow points and un-jacketed was against the rules of war.
If a soldier was captured by the enemy, and discovered using un-jacketed ammo, he could be executed.
Don’t know anything about the military, but the fact that it is hollow point disturbes me. With everything else going on in our world right now, it needs to be discussed.
Once again, I put forward my idea that genocide is coming to America. There is no other rational use for this much ammo, let alone hollow-point. Why else do I say that genocide is coming? Let’s look at what we’ve got: FEMA Camps in every state, the Denver Intl. Airport with the hardware for crematoria already installed, guillotines in Washington and Oregon states, counties and small towns with heavy-duty military equipment, and military personnel drills and exercises in several American towns and cities, e.g., St. Louis two months ago.
Shall I go on? How about S. 510 from two years ago, that gave all power of food production and distribution to Congress? Obamacare with its death panels, and, of course, the NDAA, which Republicans Carl Levin and John McCain sponsored and supported.
The TSA with its institutionalized molestation. Drones bases coming to a state or city near you—Michael Chertoff has personally made money off of the contracts for the porno-scanners and drones.
The extension of the Patriot Act. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
We have some 85 million firearms owners in America. They had better start organizing.
NOAA buying for Fish and Wildlife, okay… but DHS is totally off the wall (especially with all the freebies its giving away– don’t those other law enforcemnt agencies have their own budgets?). And why are all these urgent orders coming in now, at once, when there’s usually no money left at the end of the fiscal year and training, ranges, etc. come to a halt until 1 Oct for that reason?
So if everything is normal and Big Bro is not buying more than normal and it is just being reported in such a way as to seem worse; how come I can’t find any ammo?