DHS buys another 21 million rounds of ammo

[GreyGeek]

http://www.examiner.com/article/dhs-adds-21-6-million-rounds-of-ammo-to-its-nearly-2-billion-round-stockpile

A poster on ShadowSpear made an interesting comment:

There's 200 K DHS Employees, per the website, as of 2011. http://www.dhs.gov/eeo-complaints-and-adjudication. That's 8,000 rounds for every employee, if you gave an allocation to every janitor, every clerk, every single employee.

Number of DHS employees: 199,492
The orgs that roll up under DHS are as follows:

• U.S. Customs Service
• Immigration and Naturalization Service
• Federal Protective Service
• Transportation Security Administration
• FLETC (which  uses 20M rounds/yr at its 350 shooting stations)
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• Office for Domestic Preparedness (Formerly a FEMA Office)
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Strategic National Stockpile
• National Disaster Medical System
• Nuclear Incident Response Team
• Domestic Emergency Support Teams
• National Domestic Preparedness Office
• CBRN Countermeasures Programs
• Environmental Measurements Laboratory
• National Biological Warfare
• Defense Analysis Center
• Plum Island Animal Disease Center
• Federal Computer Incident Response Center
• National Communications System
• National Infrastructure Protection Center
• Energy Security and Assurance Program
• U.S. Coast Guard
• USSS

The 1.6 Billion order was covered on CNN, FOX, ABC and other major news outlet (not Alex Jones).

• FOX News on the "Right"
• Huffington Post on the "Left"
• CNN
• Associated Press

Divide this up over 4 years, here's what you get:

1.6 Billion rounds ÷ 4 years = 400 million rounds per year (still nearly 6 times the amount of all combined forces ammunition expenditure in Iraq, citation above, and again here: http://www.businessinsider.com/dhs-...-million-200-million-40-caliber-rounds-2013-1).

Since we know that FLETC uses 20 million rounds per year by themselves (as they posted on their website as well as the DHS website which states it's only 15 million rounds per year) , we can use an adjusted number of 380 million rounds left over, after FLETC uses their allocation, to be distributed among all the other employees of all the other agencies. That's 380 million rounds per year distributed to agencies, 90% of which have extremely limited force projection capabilities. Except for the Coast Guard, the other organizations have not traditionally been known for excessive consumption of ammunition. These kinds of ammo purchases by the DHS are not usual, not common, haven't been done before. It's totally understandable why people would look at these kinds of ammunition acquisitions with major "WTF" in their mind, especially when coupled with the subsequent attempted "black out"/ redaction: http://www.examiner.com/article/dhs-ammo-specifics-now-redacted-as-n-west-activists-react

Toss in the Blackhawk Helicopters flying "riot control" training over major US cities and shooting .50 blanks, Army platoons patrolling towns and villages around the country in various illegal training exercises, and the announced purchase of 2,700 "light armored tanks":
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/03/obama-dhs-purchases-2700-light-armored-tanks-to-go-with-their-1-6-billion-bullet-stockpile/

I'd call them light armored trucks, not tanks, but  the Department of Homeland Security (through the U.S. Army Forces Command) recently retrofitted 2,717 of these ‘Mine Resistant Protected’ vehicles for service on the streets of the United States.  They have gun ports, 6in thick windows that can protect against .50 bullets.  The guy in the video explains how they will be used to enforce warrants against homes, etc...  That's about 54 vehicles per state. 

I'll ask again:  what does the Federal  government expect will be happening, and when?   What ever it is they'll be able to shoot 9mm, .40 and .223 JHP ammo at it for as much as a decade, if not longer.  Altogether, it gives a picture of our government gearing up for war against people inside our borders.

Scary.

[Bucket]

Having spent 20 years in the Air Force, I typically view the notion of large conspiracies as laughable.   The incompetence and inefficiency of the Federal government generally precludes the notion of a vast and complex subplot unfolding.  Likewise, there are still quite a few patriotic citizens who believe and uphold the Constitution and aren't going to allow something to happen.

That said, I can't quite wrap my head around why DHS would purchase that much ammo or could justify a requirement for 2700 MRAPs.  I normally scoff at the notion of a secret plot, but something really doesn't smell right with all this.

[Gary]

Truckers sometimes sleep in the parking lot of walmarts, and the other day, a trucker was sleeping, pulling a flatbed and several army vehicles.  I noticed the doors on the army trucks, had hinges with inches of steel.   I have UL listed safes that have smaller hinges and the doors weigh 500 pounds. 

There were no markings on these army vehicles making them look USA, and I could not bet they were our military.  They were a tan color, sometimes referred to Dark Earth.

US military vehicles use a stencil to mark license plates, and these vehicles had no such markings.

[bkoenig]

Having spent 20 years in the Air Force, I typically view the notion of large conspiracies as laughable.   The incompetence and inefficiency of the Federal government generally precludes the notion of a vast and complex subplot unfolding.  Likewise, there are still quite a few patriotic citizens who believe and uphold the Constitution and aren't going to allow something to happen.

That said, I can't quite wrap my head around why DHS would purchase that much ammo or could justify a requirement for 2700 MRAPs.  I normally scoff at the notion of a secret plot, but something really doesn't smell right with all this.

I agree with you.  I usually roll my eyes when the tinfoilers start talking, but I can't think of any reason why they would need enough up-armored trucks to put 54 of them in each state.  Unless they're planning on giving them to the Border Patrol to secure the border, and I don't see that happening.

[SS_N_NE]

Could well be a typical good 'ol boy spending spree.  I can see some shareholders at the top of an ammunition corporation expecting some decent dividens in the near future via their recent political donation.

[RedDot]

Tanks, trucks, helicopters, planes...I'm not really scared of them yet. All of them require people at the controls so far, those people being Americans.  Look at the history of our culture and you will see it's made up of a high percentage of folks who don't necessarily follow orders, laws, or regulations.  "Because I told you to" isn't good enough justification for most of us. It's one of the reasons other countries think we're all nuts.  If the govt. has gotten so out of touch that they have forgotten that uniquely American quirk of ours, they would never be able to buy enough bullets to avoid the backlash of any heavy-handed measures.  I just keep having faith in the belief that we are the "incorrigible children of the world" and can throw the Mother of All Tantrums when sufficiently provoked.

[kozball]

I also have the foul smell feeling. As all of us are aware, there is just a tiny problem of finding ammo of any kind for a reasonable price. Just watched a 1400 round "Bucket of Bullets" sell for $305 plus freight.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=331504174

Now, I assume that most of this panic is due to the possibilty of some gun controll measure coming out of .Gov, but this panic seems to be more than just fear of gun controll. This is 22LR. WTF. Seems like people are expecting something more.

[GreyGeek]

Just watched a 1400 round "Bucket of Bullets" sell for $305 plus freight

And I saw 8 of those buckets go for $70 each at Scheel's last week. 

[GreyGeek]

All of them require people at the controls so far, those people being Americans.

People are the same the world over.   It wasn't Germans  who processed the Jews into the ovens, it was other Jews.  Paraphrasing Winston Churchill who said that "Feeding the Tiger in hopes  of not being eaten only guarantees that you will be the last one eaten, but eaten still the same."

Do I think that there are Americans who would fire on unarmed Americans at the command of the government?  No doubt.  Many of them appear to  be working in Congress.  Will the majority of the military or National Guard fire on Americans?  At least once a single NG unit has done  it in the past:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings
But a majority?   Not if they understand the oath they took when they enlisted.

A couple years ago there was a rumor that a NG unit was asked to sign a statement agreeing to  follow order to shoot Americans  if asked to.  Here is one video  that is frequently cited:

and a Utah NG unit is cited as "standing down" after refusing to sign such a statement.

During Katrina some Federal, State and NG units confiscated weapons.  The Utah NG unit refused to participate, according to this Utah NG soldier, who explains how the "shoot Americans" story may have started:
http://dancingczars.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/tip-national-guard-unit-stands-down-after-firing-on-americans-questionnaire/
and


However, I  would make no claims about Obama's 250,000  "Citizens Security Force", if it ever comes into being.

[Randy]

Now this sounds to much like Hitler.

[SemperFiGuy]

Utah..............

That's where the Mormons settled after their historic trek across the country from New York; Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; Council Bluffs, Iowa and other places.

And that's where the Federal Government pursued them and persecuted them by means of armed federal troops.   Ugly history of federal government oppression there.

Maybe the Utah National Guard members have a long memory.   After all, it was only yesterday in the grand scheme of things.

sfg

[tackle8]

Also, the DHS had to release 2000 prisoners due to the sequester, not being able to afford to keep them.  Yet they can afford to buy weapons, ammo, and armored vehicles... 

Not looking good.

[GreyGeek]

I was thinking about the "why" behind our government buying 1.6+ BILLION rounds of small arms ammo.   

It's  just a thought, but if you were our military brass and your  computer simulations indicated that war with <choose one; Russia,  China, Iran, Pakistan, whomever> was inevitable, how would  you  replenish your ammo stockpiles after years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with  "light tanks", and other military firepower without raising alarms in those  countries?   Just the way DHS  is doing it, except that the ammo isn't going to DHS people, but clandestinely going to our military.

I also read somewhere that the number of people who have  applied for weapons permits, CCW, etc.., is over 88 Million!   That's 28% of Americans actively seeking ammo for their weapons.

Those two  events appear to be colliding to  form a perfect  storm.

[Bucket]

I was thinking about the "why" behind our government buying 1.6+ BILLION rounds of small arms ammo.   

It's  just a thought, but if you were our military brass and your  computer simulations indicated that war with <choose one; Russia,  China, Iran, Pakistan, whomever> was inevitable, how would  you  replenish your ammo stockpiles after years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with  "light tanks", and other military firepower without raising alarms in those  countries?   Just the way DHS  is doing it, except that the ammo isn't going to DHS people, but clandestinely going to our military.

I also read somewhere that the number of people who have  applied for weapons permits, CCW, etc.., is over 88 Million!   That's 28% of Americans actively seeking ammo for their weapons.

Those two  events appear to be colliding to  form a perfect  storm.

2700 MRAPs and 1.6 Billion rounds of small arms ammo wouldn't create a blip if DoD was buying it.  China is building stealth fighters and aircraft carriers.  Russia is building and deploying new nuclear missiles and submarines.  Infantry vehicles and small arms ammo ain't no big deal in that arena.

[GreyGeek]

Infantry vehicles and small arms ammo ain't no big deal in that arena.

Well, scratch that idea.