One of the stranger things that has happened in America over the last two years is that the Department of Homeland Security has purchased 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition. This purchase is in addition to ammo bought by other federal agencies and departments (like the Defense Department, for example.) The quantity of ammo purchased is not just high; it is staggering. The bullets bought constitute about 8000 rounds for each employee of DHS. To be clear that is 8000 rounds for every unarmed secretary, clerk, computer operator, receptionist at DHS as well as for those employees like the border patrol who are actually armed. Further, this 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition is in addition to the large stockpile of ammo already held by DHS.
To make this mess worse, no one knows exactly how much DHS is spending for all this ammunition. We just went through months of being warned that the world would end with sequestration and the resulting slowing of the growth of federal spending. The total reduction in this fiscal year is about 44 billion dollars. Indeed, we learned that DHS released thousands of dangerous illegal aliens against whom there were criminal charges supposedly because of the budget restrictions. How many of those thousands could have been kept in detention if DHS had bought a mere 600 million bullets rather than the total of 1.6 billion? Just to be clear, DHS has no need for all these bullets. According to Forbes, at its height the American forces fighting in the Iraq War used about 6 million rounds of ammo each month. That makes the purchase by DHS enough for the equivalent of 20 years of the fighting in Iraq.
Today brings reports that various police departments around the country are now suffering from ammunition shortages. Cops are being required to give up weapons training in order to conserve ammo. Do we really want police who are less accurate in their shooting due to a lack of training?
There is also another problem. Various congressmen have asked DHS why it needs all the ammo, and they have not received an answer. One department spokesman actually said that the department got a better price for its ammo by buying in bulk. What will come next? Will DHS buy all of the output for the year from Ford Motor Company in order to get a better price for the 23 Lincoln limos that it needs?
Usually I can understand the reasons why government agencies do what they do. This time I am mystified. This is either the single stupidest thing ever to come out of Washington (and that is saying quite a lot) or some sinister plot is afoot.
To make this mess worse, no one knows exactly how much DHS is spending for all this ammunition. We just went through months of being warned that the world would end with sequestration and the resulting slowing of the growth of federal spending. The total reduction in this fiscal year is about 44 billion dollars. Indeed, we learned that DHS released thousands of dangerous illegal aliens against whom there were criminal charges supposedly because of the budget restrictions. How many of those thousands could have been kept in detention if DHS had bought a mere 600 million bullets rather than the total of 1.6 billion? Just to be clear, DHS has no need for all these bullets. According to Forbes, at its height the American forces fighting in the Iraq War used about 6 million rounds of ammo each month. That makes the purchase by DHS enough for the equivalent of 20 years of the fighting in Iraq.
Today brings reports that various police departments around the country are now suffering from ammunition shortages. Cops are being required to give up weapons training in order to conserve ammo. Do we really want police who are less accurate in their shooting due to a lack of training?
There is also another problem. Various congressmen have asked DHS why it needs all the ammo, and they have not received an answer. One department spokesman actually said that the department got a better price for its ammo by buying in bulk. What will come next? Will DHS buy all of the output for the year from Ford Motor Company in order to get a better price for the 23 Lincoln limos that it needs?
Usually I can understand the reasons why government agencies do what they do. This time I am mystified. This is either the single stupidest thing ever to come out of Washington (and that is saying quite a lot) or some sinister plot is afoot.
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