Posted on 05/21/2013 5:12:52 PM PDT by True Grit
It now seems clear that the Department of Homeland Security’s stockpiling of ammunition and other warfare supplies can no longer be dismissed as “conspiracy theory,” but is a very real development in the actions of an overreaching federal government.
Many have suggested and assumed that the ammo and gun shortage experienced across the country is the result of private citizens’ unprecedented purchases, in recent years, in preparation for impending gun control measures. While this is true in part, it is only half of the logical explanation that can be assessed based upon available facts.
This phenomenon has been described as creating a perfect storm for private gun owners when paired with the reality that the DHS and other federal agencies are buying up once-available guns and ammunition like never before. Mainstream news sources such as Rawstory and Media Matters have attacked Fox News’ Lou Dobbs and others for their statements affirming that the government has indeed purchased at least 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition (especially including hollow points), 7000 fully automatic assault rifles, and 2700 new light armored vehicles, as well as riot gear including body armor. DHS has also invested $2 million with a contractor that recently apologized for its production of shooting targets depicting elderly gun owners and even pregnant women and children in residential settings, after photos and publicity of the targets recently gained widespread exposure.
As it turned out, these claims have proven to be very accurate, as even Media Matters admitted that DHS officials made the 1.6 billion rounds purchase as they were also busy denying it. The organization also insisted that “the order for 2717 new light armored vehicles [came] from the United States Marine Corps – not the Department of Homeland Security.” This claim seems baseless, as all photos have clearly shown the DHS emblem emblazoned on the tanks in question.
All these dismissive reports against the supposedly “misleading” claim of the DHS stockpiling effort can be traced back to a February 14 Associated Press report, lacking any investigative basis, that simply repeated the statement from DHS official Peggy Dixon, who claimed the bulk ammo purchases to have been made in order to save money, and that the bullets were solely intended for military and federal law enforcement training purposes. This claim becomes weaker upon consideration that hollow-point ammunition is significantly more expensive than standard rounds, and military spokesmen and ammunition experts contend that such bullets are unsuitable for training purposes and have never been used for such a purpose.
Seemingly, at the very least, even if the government isn’t preparing to make war against its own people, they are preparing for civil unrest, which is suspect enough for the warranted concern of the American people. The government may well be, however, deliberately attempting to restrict the supply of ammunition, thus the functionality of firearms, from the American people. It has never been a well-kept secret that the Obama administration is no big fan of the Second Amendment. The longstanding fears of many have begun to be shared by several of our elected officials who are increasingly becoming more vocal in their concerns about the government’s attempt to strip citizens of their right to keep and bear arms. Recently, as a guest on Aaron Klein’s radio show, Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inholfe accused the Obama administration of buying up unprecedented levels of ammunitions as a means to intentionally bypass the Second Amendment until law-abiding citizens “can’t even buy ammunition because government is purchasing so much.” Inholfe cited last month’s testimony from DHS Chief Procurement Officer Nick Nayak who said DHS has the right to buy up as much ammunition as it deems necessary. He mentioned that the ammo grab is an ongoing concern, as even still “they’re planning to buy 750 million rounds. Well, that is more than three times the amount that our soldiers are using for training to defend our nation. So, it’s just another effort to restrict gun activity and ownership.” The senator is in the process of introducing the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) bill that will limit “non-defense, armed federal agencies to pre-Obama levels of ammunition.”
There now seems to be ample evidence that our federal government, namely the Obama administration, is up to no good when it comes to the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding American citizens. Historically speaking, this is a very alarming cause for concern. Hopefully, this concern then will continue to be shared by more elected officials in our local, state, and federal governments, as well as among our military and law enforcement communities. Lou Dobbs likely said it best with the following statement: “It’s like I tell anyone who brushes off what I try to tell them as simple ‘conspiracy theory.’ At some point it stops being a theory, and is in fact a conspiracy. I also remind them that we’re not talking about science fiction or aliens here. We’re talking about the very REAL potential of government misconduct towards its own people; something that has happened time and time again in history.”
“shooting targets depicting elderly gun owners and even pregnant women”
Yet FBI has stopped using targets with people wearing Muslim garb because of complaints.
bookmark
WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THE US AMMO MAKERS CHOSE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OVER US.
And they were rightfully attacked, as the the government HASN'T purchased 1.6 billion rounds (it's actually a contract to buy up to 750,000 rounds over THE NEXT FIVE YEARS) and DHS purchases in 2012 were lower than in 2011. And they didn't buy 2,700 light armored vehicles.
Lie or make stupid mistakes, and you deserve to be mocked.
DHS officials testified last week that it was only planning to purchase up to 750 million rounds of ammunition for training centers and law enforcement over the next five years. The agency’s spokesman, Peter Boogaard, told Congress that the media reports are ‘misleading’. But Boogard also mentioned a second five-year contract for up to 450 million rounds of ammunition for law enforcement purposes. Together, the two DHS contracts for ammunition would result in purchases of up to 1.2 billion rounds of ammo.
They still haven't apologized for Vicky Weaver, or the 80 at Waco!
Couldn’t have said it better!
This is Mad Hatter stuff.
These are the same folks who fear our armed forces, bearing arms against our citizens. Obviously people with a shockingly limited experience with military or law enforcement.
Preaching to the choir.
You are correct sir. It is a series of Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts that are standard in government purchasing that establish minimum and maximum ranges for purchases over several years (in this case, five years). The 1.6 billion is a summation of the maximums from all IDIQ contracts over five years. It's pretty clear that DHS has NOT even ordered that amount, much less paid for it and had it delivered. The point of an IDIQ bid is that by creating the possibility of large purchasing ranges, you get the best possible price from the supplier.
In the case of the 450 million round maximum contract, the minimum guarantee purchase is for 10,000 rounds in the first year only. Any further purchases and all extension years are optional.
All of this information is public knowledge and has been discussed in the press and here on FR many times, but folks continue to rant about it.
Yeah, that’s silly, I trust the executive branch fully...
They probably have specific contracts, and Gov’t contracts can have priority clauses. Not entirely the factory’s fault, is my point.
The Great DHS Ammunition Stockpile Myth
MYTH: Then why can’t I find ammo? What’s causing the shortage?
FACT: We’re causing the shortage. As an employee for a major firearms retailer, I can testify we receive shipments of the three highest demand calibers (9mm, .22 LR, and .223 Rem/5.56 NATO) at least 3-5 times weekly and in quantities far exceeding our normal shipments. We see as many as 1,000 boxes of ammunition disappear in as little as four hours. People are responding to the unknown with fear and hoarding of ammunition. Manufacturers are replenishing the shelves, but the civilian market is buying it too fast due to warranted (and unwarranted) concerns. Don’t believe me? Ask your dealers, or wait at a local Wal-Mart."
Dr. Coburn Releases Correspondence With DHS Regarding Ammunition Purchases
If we the American public now own 300 million guns, how many rounds do we need to buy for each gun to totally suck the supply out of the market and dwarf any DHS or even any military purchases? Do the math.
10 x 300,000,000 = 3,000,000,000
50 x 300,000,000 = 7,500,000,000
100 x 300,000,000 = 30,000,000,000
You are overlooking the key words in your own post: The DHS purchase orders are for a "not to exceed" quantity. It has not actually purchased 1.2 billion rounds and it is not required to purchase 1.2 billion rounds; rather, it has the option to purchase 1.2 billion rounds over a five-year period. Still, I would be happy if Congress defunded and disbanded the DHS today and short of that, the House ought to limit DHS funding for ammo to 10 rounds per officer per year.
Thanks for the info.
The numbers support your argument.
Considering the level of corruption and thuggery in gov’t, it’s only prudent to prepare.
How long do you expect this buy frenzy to continue?
As long as it's prudent to prepare and/or until folks begin to consider that they have enough. The question people are asking themselves is how much is enough, considering what we've seen from our government in the last few weeks?
Been to a gun store lately? The ammo flies off the shelves as soon as they get it in because folks don't know what the availability will be in the future. It's pretty simple, really.
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