Why is the Department of Homeland Security buying so many bullets?

Fox News ^ | February 14, 2013

[Zakeet]

Online rumors about a big government munitions purchase are true, sort of.

The Homeland Security Department wants to buy more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition in the next four or five years. It says it needs them -- roughly the equivalent of five bullets for every person in the United States -- for law enforcement agents in training and on duty.

[Zakeet]

You stupid Right Wing Nuts don't need to be concerned about the fact that we are buying enough ammo to kill every American five times ... even if it is more than 30 times what the military used to wage the Iraq War ... because we need half of those hollow point rounds for target practice ... and we need the other half of them to stop illegal immigrants before they can enter this country and vote for Democrats ... and we are buying in bulk because we want to save you taxpayers some money ... and it is merely an amazing coincidence that we are drying up supplies at the exact same time that we are proposing to confiscate your guns!

[paint_your_wagon]

Grandma!!! What big teeth you have!

[Timber Rattler]

I think that they’re actually trying to buy up all the ammunition to drive up prices and ultimately dry up the market, in line with Obama’s usual “we can’t wait on Congress/Administrative action” strategy. If they can’t get the guns, then they can get the ammo.

[originalbuckeye]

I am starting to think the bullets are for Obama’s Brown Shirt......er Blue Shirt Fema Corps. You know, all those young men, age 18-24, being trained to help out in a time of crisis?

[liberalh8ter]

Why is the Department of Homeland Security buying so many bullets?

Because every bullet they buy, is one less bullet you can buy.

[Flintlock]

Why?

Why—they’re to SHOOT YOU with, that’s why.

What else?

[FreedomPoster]

“Also seize the provisions and ammunition that the enemy is bringing up from the rear to the front.”

Mao, Basic Tactics

[The_Sword_of_Groo]

Post of the thread!

[Max in Utah]

“And Grandma, what a big ammo order you have!”

“The better to enslave you with, my dear.”

[LibsRJerks]

I don’t know why, but I’m about to write my representative and ask that we are provided a clear answer. It’s really getting ridiculous to hear about this, to hear all the speculation, and yet no one seems to want to answer for it.

[ThunderSleeps]

Let’s look at this rationally. 1.6 billion round sounds like a lot, but really isn’t. Dhs has absorbed several other agencies. 200k people in dhs now. Let’s estimate maybe half of them are agents of some sort that need to carry, thus need to train. That’s 16,000 rounds per agent over five years. Figure you want to keep maybe 3000 rounds in reserve per agent - that’s not much, I’ve got a thousand myself, and i don’t even rely on my firearm for work. That’s 13000 to train with and shoot over 5 years, or 2600 per year. That’s less than 200 rounds a month for proficiency training, if you hold some in reserve for annual requalification. You guys know me, I’m no fan of big government, nor obama, but this doesn’t seem scary or unreasonable to me. Yeah it is a lot of rounds, but they are a big department... Maybe we should work on shrinking and streamlining them, then they wouldn’t suck up so much of our ammo.

[norwaypinesavage]

The numbers still don’t add up. The article says that DHS ordered 750 million rounds, and uses 15 million rounds per year in training. That’s a fifty year supply. Why?

[Daveinyork]

Big Sis: “So many people to shoot, so little time.”

[Texas resident]

If this is no big deal, how come the feds haven’t been doing this for years?
Why are the feds just recently purchasing up billions of rounds?
Why are federal agencies like the social security admin purchasing huge amounts of ammo?
When in the past have manufacturers of ammo been cranking out ammo at this rate?

Logically, your case would make sense if all the feds were practicing as much as the case makes, but really do you think they are really practicing that much?

And hollow points are not practice rounds.

IMHO, they are doing two things at once. One, dry up the supply. Two stock up for when the shtf so they can either protect themselves or turn their weapons on the American citizens. Given their complete lack of any morality or civility, I wouldn’t be surprised is all of the above comes to pass.

[kenmcg]

During his first presidential campaign Bama spoke of institutuing a new national police force. That force is coming about in Homeland Security. Vehicles marked Police Homeland Security have been seen all over the place.

[kiryandil]

You guys know me, I’m no fan of big government, nor obama, but this doesn’t seem scary or unreasonable to me. Yeah it is a lot of rounds, but they are a big department...

Teh Constitution:

"To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;"

The Founders were down on standing armies, for some reason...

[USAF80]

The majority are most likely pencil pushers.

On an everage Air Force base of 8000 only about 400-500 will actually have a need for weapons training on a continual basis and this is the security and special units types.

The AF is pretty stingy when it comes to ammo.

[kiryandil]

During his first presidential campaign Bama spoke of institutuing a new national police force. That force is coming about in Homeland Security. Vehicles marked Police Homeland Security have been seen all over the place.

I've seen several over the past year.

The large black fuel-guzzling kind - the better to remind the peasantry who's REALLY got the whip hand, and who can afford to blow money on gasoline, and who can't...

[Casie]

Exactly! And how did you like the line about, "We're just buying them because they are on sale and we're getting such a good deal." Really? Since when does the government care what anything costs? They never look at price tags and never will. Its such a stupid lie.

Its like asking Hitler why he is purchasing so many canisters of poisonous gas, and building so many air tight showering facilities. "Oh, you know. They were on sale, and we got such a good deal!"