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.

[apoliticalone]

And what the media says too. Misinformation has become a way of life per “Dept of Propaganda and Misinformation”

[GOPJ]

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?

Obama talked about wanting a private domestic army... it on some other thread.

[USAF80]

The M16s were converted to shoot .22s so the average Joe never shot 5.56. Only the cops would shoot 5.56.

The last time I qualified years ago I didn’t even use real ammo. They had an airline hooked up to a magazine, the weapon would recoil just like the real thing but shot a laser instead of bullets. The training facility was a kind of virtual reality set up.

[Terry Mross]

You’re right. It’s for his 250,000 man police force. And look when they’re to be purchased. In the next four or FIVE years. I’m sure he plans on having absolute power by then.

[Macgedos]

One might think this move reveals his true plans for America all along, to recruit and arm that private army that he spoke about in his speeches in 08 prior to getting elected. “ A well armed army inside our borders” would have to be under Homeland Security.( they could already exist but short on ammo.)Police dept’s throughout the country have their own suppliers and purchase their own ammo and weapons ( its a part of their annual budget), the same applies to county and state. This measure may tend to cause some to think that something big is coming down the pike like gun confiscation after gun owners refuse to register or cooperate with an executive order to turn in their guns. (regardless ) Whatever decision the congress may come up with regarding our firearms, may not be enough to satisfy some in this administration and the president may have his own answers for that. After all, his sec. of state (Hillary Clinton) already went against our constitution by signing a small arms control agreement with the UN, contrary to our 2nd amendment.( A constitution that she swore under oath to preserve and protect.) By any measure she has already committed perjury and treason and nothing much was being said about it by our congress or our media. Our president says that he doesn’t want to take our guns, but then Fast and Furious comes along and is the cause of deaths to Americans and several hundred Mexicans in Mexico, and, all avenues lead congressional investigators to this administration and Justice dept. whom have put themselves above the law and refused to testify or cooperate with congressional subpenas . This administration answers to no one and our media goes without response or even a question , now it is at a stalemate and over shadowed by other events but most Americans that own firearms and pay attention to these matters will never forget. The sole purpose of Fast and Furious was fouled after a whistle blower (federal agent)lost a friend with one of these firearms and revealed the story to a media source that was too big for them to not report. (After all they are suppose to be in the business to report the news and make some profit.) Now this latest school shooting tragedy has accomplished even more than Fast and Furious could ever have accomplished and I believe this president will use that tragedy to his full advantage and power and then some...I believe in my heart that this has been his personal goal from the onset and everything about him points in that direction. I believe he wants all our arms and thinks that this is his golden opportunity.

So, can we say our president or any member of his administration has never lied to the American people ? All I can say at this point is that is a lot of ammunition for homeland security to acquire and we hope and pray there is not some sinister reason behind it.

When reliable sources break this kind of news to the American people and it is admitted to by the head of homeland security it is freighting to many of us that we should fear our own government in such a way.

[Gene Eric]

>> All I can say at this point is that is a lot of ammunition for homeland security to acquire and we hope and pray there is not some sinister reason behind it.

The shortest path to re-Constituting the Country would involve “sinister” stupidity. Ain’t gonna happen.

Worst case, the purchases represent an obnoxious, but hollow show of force. Best case, the cache is for training, inventory, budget expenditures.

[Cheerio]

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?

If the Government were purchasing a 50 year supply they are breaking the law. They are restricted to using the current appropriation to fund the current year's need, and the Contracting Officer issuing the contract knows darn well the requirement of the Bona Fide Needs rule. Turn him in and file a Qui Tam law suit.

The Bona Fide Needs Rule is one of the fundamental principles of federal appropriations law. Simply stated, a "fiscal year appropriation may be obligated only to meet a legitimate, or bona fide, need arising in, or in some cases arising prior to, but continuing to exist in, the fiscal year for which the appropriation was made." (The underlying statute is 31 U.S.C. § 1502(a), sometimes called the "bona fide needs statute").

The bona fide need rule, found at 31 U.S.C. Sec. 1502 (1988), precludes an agency from obligating, without express statutory authority, an appropriation made for a specified period for the needs of subsequent periods. Generally this is for Multi Year contracting but would not be valid for purchasing Commercial Items, but rather for the procurement of Government only items like F-22 aircraft where Congress is required to appropriate funds for the possibility of termination costs should subsequent Congresses refuse to continue the program.

Purchasing more than ONE year's worth of goods or supplied is forbidden by the law.

[Elsie]

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

Uh...

It has hacked the JR files and found out just how MANY Freepers there are??

[Elsie]

Mao, Basic Tactics

There's nothing new under the sun.
--Solomon - Wisdom of

---

All warfare is based on deception.

Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable;
when using our forces, we must appear inactive;
when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away;
when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
--Tzu Sun

[eak3]

Well considering during the Iraq War stats claim the military used around 70 million rounds per year. So and order for 1.6 billion rounds is way beyond the norm when it comes to ammo purchases. It’s likely for 2 things: A: To make it hard to come by for John Q Citizen, which it is and B: To use against John Q Citizen once the inevitable meltdown takes place. You don’t order hollow points unless your intention is to kill something with it.

http://www.examiner.com/article/feds-explanation-of-hollow-point-bullets-raises-more-questions

[mj1234]

I agree with the comments - way to much ammo for DHS training-

Could O’bummer be transfering the ammo to our enemies?
do it under the guise “ DHS supplying assistance to
so and so country for security “- like Syria,iraq,Libya,
somalia- how about a few million rounds to our friends-
Fidel and Hugo-

sarc

[JGT]

“Worst case, the purchases represent an obnoxious, but hollow show of force.”

That's your worst case? I wish I shared your level of optimism/naivete. With the administration currently in power I will always assume the worst and hope that I am proved wrong.

[RipSawyer]

I was a Navy electronics technician ‘62 to ‘65. I fired a total of 80 rounds on the rifle range in boot camp and never another round during my whole hitch. I fired one round, no that is not an error, ONE ROUND in a 1911 model 45 in boot camp and never touched one again. They said they did not have ammo for us to practice with but wanted each man to fire one round in case he ever had to use a 45 later.

[Gene Eric]

The point you quoted is dependent on the previous point.

[OneWingedShark]

The bona fide need rule, found at 31 U.S.C. Sec. 1502 (1988), precludes an agency from obligating, without express statutory authority, an appropriation made for a specified period for the needs of subsequent periods. [...]

Purchasing more than ONE year's worth of goods or supplied is forbidden by the law.

Well then that leaves two possibilities: either they are breaking the law, or they have plans to use them all this year.
And since we know the government would never break the law *cough* Fast & Furious *cough*, then we know it must be that they will use the ammunition this year.

[OneWingedShark]

Arg! That backwards flag pisses me off!
That the Army put it that way on their stupid patches is no excuse — the union goes on the left! — it’s not because “we’ve never lost and so the flag streams behind us” and the NCOs would say, because OLD UNIFORMS (WWII, Korea, etc) HAD IT THE RIGHT WAY!

[DungeonMaster]

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.

Sadly that's the most reasonable theory.

[GregNH]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s

[EBH]

Read here:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2989448/posts

And then consider my comments in #23

By the time we figure this all out and wake people up...it is gonna be way too late.