Homeland Security and its cache of bullets

[Bumper64]

Associated Press/FLETC - This handout photo provided by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), taken in Feb. 2010, shows training activities at the indoor range Glynco, Ga. Yes, it's true, the government is buying ammo big time. No, it's not to take up arms against the people, as an online conspiracy buzz has it. The Homeland Security Department is ordering more than 1.6 billion rounds over the next four or five years, roughly the equivalent of five bullets for every person in the U.S. But the cache is for training agents and regular law enforcement, nothing sinister, officials say.

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.

Published federal notices about the ammo buy have agitated conspiracy theorists since the fall. That's when conservative radio host Alex Jones spoke of an "arms race against the American people" and said the government was "gearing up for total collapse, they're gearing up for huge wars."

The government's explanation is much less sinister.

Federal solicitations to buy the bullets are known as "strategic sourcing contracts," which help the government get a low price for a big purchase, says Peggy Dixon, spokeswoman for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga . The training center and others like it run by theHomeland Security Department use as many as 15 million rounds every year, mostly on shooting ranges and in training exercises.

Dixon said one of the contracts would allow Homeland Security to buy up to 750 million rounds of ammunition over the next five years for its training facilities. The rounds are used for basic and advanced law enforcement training for federal law enforcement agencies under the department's umbrella. The facilities also offer firearms training to tens of thousands of federal law enforcement officers. More than 90 federal agencies and 70,000 agents and officers used the department's training center last year.

The rest of the 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition would be purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal government's second largest criminal investigative agency.

ICE's ammunition requests in the last year included:

—450 million rounds of .40-caliber duty ammunition

—40 million rounds of rifle ammunition a year for as many as five years, for a total bullet-buy of 200 million rounds

—176,000 rifle rounds on a separate contract

—25,000 blank rounds

The Homeland Security ammo buy is not the first time the government's bullets purchases have sparked concerns on the Internet. The same thing happened last year when the Social Security Administration posted a notice that it was buying 174,000 hollow point bullets.

Jonathan L. Lasher, the agency's assistant inspector general for external relations, said those bullets were for the Social Security inspector general's office, which has about 295 agents who investigate Social Security fraud and other crimes.

Jones the talk-show host did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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[R2D2]

Associated Press/FLETC - This handout photo provided by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), taken in Feb. 2010, shows training activities at the indoor range Glynco, Ga. Yes, it's true, the government is buying ammo big time. No, it's not to take up arms against the people, as an online conspiracy buzz has it. The Homeland Security Department is ordering more than 1.6 billion rounds over the next four or five years, roughly the equivalent of five bullets for every person in the U.S. But the cache is for training agents and regular law enforcement, nothing sinister, officials say.

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.

Published federal notices about the ammo buy have agitated conspiracy theorists since the fall. That's when conservative radio host Alex Jones spoke of an "arms race against the American people" and said the government was "gearing up for total collapse, they're gearing up for huge wars."

The government's explanation is much less sinister.

Federal solicitations to buy the bullets are known as "strategic sourcing contracts," which help the government get a low price for a big purchase, says Peggy Dixon, spokeswoman for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga . The training center and others like it run by theHomeland Security Department use as many as 15 million rounds every year, mostly on shooting ranges and in training exercises.

Dixon said one of the contracts would allow Homeland Security to buy up to 750 million rounds of ammunition over the next five years for its training facilities. The rounds are used for basic and advanced law enforcement training for federal law enforcement agencies under the department's umbrella. The facilities also offer firearms training to tens of thousands of federal law enforcement officers. More than 90 federal agencies and 70,000 agents and officers used the department's training center last year.

The rest of the 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition would be purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal government's second largest criminal investigative agency.

ICE's ammunition requests in the last year included:

—450 million rounds of .40-caliber duty ammunition

—40 million rounds of rifle ammunition a year for as many as five years, for a total bullet-buy of 200 million rounds

—176,000 rifle rounds on a separate contract

—25,000 blank rounds

The Homeland Security ammo buy is not the first time the government's bullets purchases have sparked concerns on the Internet. The same thing happened last year when the Social Security Administration posted a notice that it was buying 174,000 hollow point bullets.

Jonathan L. Lasher, the agency's assistant inspector general for external relations, said those bullets were for the Social Security inspector general's office, which has about 295 agents who investigate Social Security fraud and other crimes.

Jones the talk-show host did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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HMMmmmmm Maybe that 2,000 rounds of ammo that is in the bunker is not enough. The government knows something that us little people are not privvy to! Maybe the planned colapse of the USA is closer than we realize.

[Shabibilicious]

Or maybe, just maybe DHS understands today's culture and wants to get in the on the "big bullet buy" because paranoid gun enthusiasts are snapping up ammo like a fat kid in a candy store. First come, first serve seems to be the only recourse these days. As always, just my opinion.

GO RV, then BV

Note: No fat kids were injured in the writing of this post.

[dog53]

Or maybe, just maybe DHS understands today's culture and wants to get in the on the "big bullet buy" because paranoid gun enthusiasts are snapping up ammo like a fat kid in a candy store. First come, first serve seems to be the only recourse these days. As always, just my opinion.

GO RV, then BV

Note: No fat kids were injured in the writing of this post.

Well I would agree with that but the govt does not buy ammo off the selves like we buy ammo. Lucritive contracts are handed out to specific ammo companys and a order is placed. Normaly in the past a govt order supercedes any domestic order. The ammo company knows whos buttering their bread and who comes first.

Also if this is on the tax payer dime(and im sure it is) Why would they be using top grade ammo to practice with. I have more of a problem with that then anything else. More GOVT waste costing us more money.

[Shabibilicious]

Well I would agree with that but the govt does not buy ammo off the selves like we buy ammo. Lucritive contracts are handed out to specific ammo companys and a order is placed. Normaly in the past a govt order supercedes any domestic order. The ammo company knows whos buttering their bread and who comes first.

Also if this is on the tax payer dime(and im sure it is) Why would they be using top grade ammo to practice with. I have more of a problem with that then anything else. More GOVT waste costing us more money.

Do you really think if the big citizen smackdown is on the horizon......the government would allow the information about their ammunition to be of public record?

GO RV, then BV

[dog53]

Do you really think if the big citizen smackdown is on the horizon......the government would allow the information about their ammunition to be of public record?

GO RV, then BV

It is on record.

Even the type that was purchased is on record.

Edited February 15, 2013 by dog53

[dontlop]

The History Of DHS Ammunition Purchases

http://www.alt-market.com/articles/1003-the-history-of-dhs-ammunition-purchases

[sxsess]

At least I'm ahead of the average 5 rounds per person in the US. Wow, I was worried there for a minute.

[dontlop]

Do you really think if the big citizen smackdown is on the horizon......the government would allow the information about their ammunition to be of public record?

GO RV, then BV

ya they could of bought it from many different locations and kept it quiet . who knows .. maybe its a stress reliever to just go to the shooting range and fire off a few rounds .. so the thousands of officers are using up so much ammo .. they decided to stockpile ..who knows maybe the drug cartels are about to get their asssess handed to them .. and that border area is about to become a war zone after this imigration thing is implimented... ya got to remember the poisen pill for any immigration legislation .. no bill if the borders arent secured . .. maybe some people think they should go down to that border and not have enough ammo... id rather they had a surplus than not enough when they need it ..

the officers probably like it .. they like shooting their guns ,.. so they hit the range .. it would be nice to go target shooting with free bullets . they must be taking advantage of it

i guess in the united states theres a 186 million guns in citizens hands .. if they had 10 bullets for each gun . how many bullets is that ..? what if they had 1 hundred bullets for each gun ..how many is that ?

[Shabibilicious]

It is on record.

Even the type that was purchased is on record.

Exactly. And in my opinion it is brought to the forefront to escalate the rift between the government and those fearful of the government. It serves no purpose for anyone to know that information, other than conspiracy theorists, with the exception of Americans with budget concerns, of course.

GO RV, then BV

if they had 10 bullets for each gun . how many bullets is that ..? what if they had 1 hundred bullets for each gun ..how many is that ?

Answers: a lot, and 100 x a lot

GO RV, then BV

[dontlop]

Exactly. And in my opinion it is brought to the forefront to escalate the rift between the government and those fearful of the government. It serves no purpose for anyone to know that information, other than conspiracy theorists, with the exception of Americans with budget concerns, of course.

GO RV, then BV

Answers: a lot, and 100 x a lot

GO RV, then BV

answer ..x 100 equals 18 billion ......

times 10 is 1.8 billion ..

[Shabibilicious]

answer ..x 100 equals 18 billion ......

times 10 is 1.8 billion ..

You lost me. What are we talking about........the pure number of bullets, or the price tag to purchase them? You threw some "ifs" and "what ifs" in there. Are you speaking hypothetically?

GO RV, then BV

Edited February 15, 2013 by Shabibilicious

[Deltori]

Ya don't need hollow point ammunition for target practice. No one uses that kind of ammunition to practice...no one.

The DHS response is a diception.

[Shabibilicious]

Ya don't need hollow point ammunition for target practice. No one uses that kind of ammunition to practice...no one.

The DHS response is a diception.

I don't feel deceived.

GO RV, then BV

[dontlop]

You lost me. What are we talking about........the pure number of bullets, or the price tag to purchase them? You threw some "ifs" and "what ifs" in there. Are you speaking hypothetically?

GO RV, then BV

no ..

im talking about the number of guns owned by the us citizens .. that number is 180 million guns ..

if each gun owner had 10 bullets for each gun they own .. they would have 1.8 billion rounds of ammunition..

if they owned 100 rounds of ammunition .. they would own 18 billion rounds of ammunition ..

but for some reason their worried our govt is buying 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition . ..over a 5 year contract ..

im not as concerned as some over the govt purchase

Ya don't need hollow point ammunition for target practice. No one uses that kind of ammunition to practice...no one.

The DHS response is a diception.

well we know they practice with something .. and if they use hollow points . it stands to reason to practice with hollow points ..

i posted the history of all ammunition purchased by dhs .. it would be listed..

70 thousand people target shooting each week ..at 100 rounds is 7 million rounds a week .... 10 weeks is 70 million rounds .... 350 million rounds a year .. for 5 years is .. around 1.6 billion rounds ..

they are buying rounds over a 5 year contract .. and im sure they will be buying more this year and next year besides these orders that are already placed

myself i dont know what they are doing ,, im not there

Edited February 15, 2013 by dontlop

[Shabibilicious]

no ..

im talking about the number of guns owned by the us citizens .. that number is 180 million guns ..

if each gun owner had 10 bullets for each gun they own .. they would have 1.8 billion rounds of ammunition..

if they owned 100 rounds of ammunition .. they would own 18 billion rounds of ammunition ..

but for some reason their worried our govt is buying 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition . ..over a 5 year contract ..

im not as concerned as some over the govt purchase

Gotcha......you are right. Some were concerned last week when this issue came up, because DHS was adding something like 0.013 % of their total ammunition to their stock pile. It's a non-issue for me.

GO RV, then BV

[stonewall67]

The amount of what they purchased does not bother me. The type of ammo they purchased does. No one who target shoots uses the best ammo to do so. Total waste of money. If your doing competition target shooting then I understand wanting to have good loads but target shooting for familiarization and training??? Buy the cheap stuff!!!! At the very least we are dealing with a government that spends money foolishly....... at the worst..... well, papaw always told me to hope for the best but prepare for the worst!!!

[dontlop]

Gotcha......you are right. Some were concerned last week when this issue came up, because DHS was adding something like 0.013 % of their total ammunition to their stock pile. It's a non-issue for me.

GO RV, then BV

yep im surly not going to put myself out there sayin our govt is buying bullets to kill us, or go to war with us . the minute any president declares war on his own country he will be locked up behind bars ,. most likely in a mental institution. . lol .. he would have some kind of labotomy .. i mean brain cancer .

the secret service also serves the citizens although they dont talk about that . every president is guarded 24 hours a day ,, not only for his safety . but for the safety of this country .. if an intruder did happen to get by the vetting process .. he would never be alone to where he could make plans to have such a war . or release top secret intell to our enemies around the world . the cia ,, fbi . and secret services are watching every move every day.. notice the s on the end of secret service ... secret services .no one knows everything ..its the only way this could work ..each agency keeps an eye on each other .

[dontlop]

http://www.secretservice.gov/USSS_FY2011AR.pdf

[dontlop]

The amount of what they purchased does not bother me. The type of ammo they purchased does. No one who target shoots uses the best ammo to do so. Total waste of money. If your doing competition target shooting then I understand wanting to have good loads but target shooting for familiarization and training??? Buy the cheap stuff!!!! At the very least we are dealing with a government that spends money foolishly....... at the worst..... well, papaw always told me to hope for the best but prepare for the worst!!!

im with ya on that . it does not hurt to talk about things . and be prepared .its when people start believing what is being talked about as actuality .. as if its already taking place .. saying .. they are going to do this that and the other thing .... i like to use the word... if ... alot ..it covers any absloutes .... it could happen .. the govt could try to do something to its citizens .. we have history to look back on that proves that ..

i believe theres too many fredom loving people in the agencies that would expose any thing like some people mention.. they would have to have a 100% success rate when they recruit new people to commit such an event ..one person in the know defecting could expose it all . it could get so crazy that a group of those recruits just say .. this is way out of hand .. and defect ..thats what i say to the 911 conspiracy theorists .... all they can say is the govt did it ..i say point out a single person and show me the proof .. they cant just say the govt .

the same thing in politics .. if a person who happens to do something dumb .. the left on msnbc .. doesnt alk about that incident being one person . they say .. the republicans are doing this .. that ,, and or the other thing .. when it was just one person who did or said something .

i know about govt waste .. its totally crazy ..they think govt spending is good for the economy .they buy things and throw them away ..