Posted on 04/30/2013 10:04:50 AM PDT by John Semmens
Congressional inquiry into the Department of Homeland Security’s huge ammunition acquisitions spurred agency officials to try to explain what is going on. At current inventory levels, DHS has four to five times as many bullets for its officers as the US Army has for our troops.
DHS training officer Humberto Medina pointed out that “the Army faces known enemies in numbers far smaller than we have to consider. I mean, Afghanistan’s population is tiny compared to that of the United States. And the Army can supplement with aerial and artillery bombardment. We don’t have that capacity at this time.”
Medina also suggested that “Army troops are better trained and more accurate shooters than the majority of those we’ve recruited for Homeland Security. So it stands to reason that we’d need to fire more rounds to hit any given target, whether it be in a training exercise or, heaven forbid, suppressing an insurrection. In a nation with over 300 million potential enemies an inventory of billions of bullets doesn’t seem unreasonable to me.”
Nick Nayak, DHS’ chief procurement officer, offered an alternative explanation for the recent surge in ammo purchases. “The notion that we are specifically targeting civilians is overwrought,” he said. “People don’t understand the way federal budgeting works. If we end the year with unspent funds that money is lost to us. Our surplus would then be used by the Administration’s enemies to argue for reduced spending in the next budget cycle. In that context, buying a billion bullets that we may never use seemed to be our best option.”
if you missed any of this week's other semi-news/semi-satire posts you can find them at...
http://azconservative.org/2013/04/27/administration-brochure-touts-food-stamp-benefits-for-foreigners/
As my dear mother used to say: ‘Everybody that believes that shit, stand on your head’
In other words we are expecting a major attack against our SOCIALIST TAKEOVER of your country and need the ammo to defeat you. That about sums up the responds from this democratic lunatic.
***”In a nation with over 300 million potential enemies...”***
We The People rest our case.
Unfortunately, that is how govt money works...if you don’t spend it all or even more than you have, next year you get less.
What an asshat. This ahole is saying that the population of the United States is a 'known enemy'?
He needs to be put down. Fast.
Are you SURE this is satire?
I’m pretty confident that the millions of real patriots in this country collectively have more ammo than the DHS. And I’m also sure that we can shoot a hell of a lot better than the limp-wristed DHS Obama pansies.
Satire. But unfortunately, just barely, and it’s very hard to tell these days.
Seven posts before the satire is called out.
Because everyone knows it’s really impossible for the DHS to need that many bullets.
John: maybe if there were some way to print the whole thing in a purple font?
DHS training officer Humberto Medina pointed out that “...I mean, Afghanistan’s population is tiny compared to that of the United States. And the Army can supplement with aerial and artillery bombardment. We don’t have that capacity at this time.”
...we’d need to fire more rounds to hit any given target, whether it be in a training exercise or, heaven forbid, suppressing an insurrection. In a nation with over 300 million potential enemies an inventory of billions of bullets doesn’t seem unreasonable to me.”
"Bloody Sam Roberts. Like Lazamataz, proudly posting before reading the entire article since 2000."
OK, it had a ring of truth and it fooled me...
They must be bad shots....
Satire, yes, but the question remains: who are they expecting to shoot, warranting that much even if most is for practice?
Only sane justification I can imagine is a way to pad and increase annual budget demands.
It is sad that our government needs bullets banned by Geneva convention and so many to kill each of us. It sounds more like maim and torture is their plan over quick merciful death like the Chinese issue.
Here is the story line from GOP Senator Cornyn:
Dear Mr. XXXXXXX:
Thank you for contacting me regarding reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is purchasing large amounts of ammunition and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on these matters.
As you may know, government agencies that post solicitations for ammunition include various law enforcement divisions that are authorized to train with, and carry, firearms. DHS and its components—which include Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard—regularly purchase ammunition for these purposes.
Some reports have mistakenly indicated that DHS is purchasing 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition. This figure is taken from an option contract, a type of contract commonly used by the government to provide flexibility in the quantity of goods to be procured and to assure the availability of resources. According to DHS, the agency utilizes these contracts in an effort to ensure that the government receives the best price for goods and services.
At this time, DHS is only exercising approximately seven percent of the option under its contract. DHS has reported that it purchased approximately 103 million rounds of ammunition in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, at a cost of approximately $36 million. It further reported that in FY 2012 alone, DHS components used approximately 116 million rounds for training and operational purposes. DHS estimates it will spend approximately $37 million on ammunition in FY 2013.
Reports also have mistakenly indicated that DHS is acquiring thousands of MRAPs. In reality, DHS has recently acquired 16 MRAPs. According to DHS, these vehicles will be used by its Special Response Teams for sensitive criminal investigations. It is important to note that these 16 vehicles are armored but not armed.
I understand the concerns of Texans regarding the use of taxpayer dollars and possible misappropriations of DHS resources. I also have concerns that DHS should not be securing the option to purchase large amounts of ammunition if they have no intention of doing so, because this practice only serves to trigger legitimate concerns about government waste, abuse, and malfeasance. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, you may be certain that I will continue working with my colleagues to provide tough oversight for all federal law enforcement functions, to ensure that DHS is spending taxpayer dollars wisely, and to protect against artificially reducing the supply of ammunition for private citizens.
I appreciate the opportunity to represent Texas in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2934
Fax: (202) 228-2856
http://www.cornyn.senate.gov
Please sign up for my monthly newsletter at http://www.cornyn.senate.gov/newsletter.
PLEASE NOTE:
Due to the nature of electronic communication, if you did not receive this e-mail directly from my office, I cannot guarantee that the text has not been altered. If you have questions about the validity of this message, or would like to respond to this message, please use the web form available at my website, http://www.cornyn.senate.gov/contact.
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Total BS Rubbish.
Once again, satire, but sooo close to the truth.
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