DHS Ammo Grab: No
Longer “Conspiracy” But Plain Reality
It now seems clear that the Department of
Homeland Security’s stockpiling of ammunition and other warfare supplies can no
longer be dismissed as “conspiracy theory,” but is a very real development in
the actions of an overreaching federal government.
Many have suggested and assumed that the
ammo and gun shortage experienced across the country is the result of private
citizens’ unprecedented purchases, in recent years, in preparation for
impending gun control measures. While this is true in part, it is only half of
the logical explanation that can be assessed based upon available facts.
This phenomenon has been described as
creating a perfect storm for private gun owners when paired with the reality
that the DHS and other federal agencies are buying up once-available guns and
ammunition like never before. Mainstream news sources such as Rawstory and
Media Matters have attacked Fox News’ Lou Dobbs and others for their statements
affirming that the government has indeed purchased at least 1.6 billion rounds
of ammunition (especially including hollow points), 7000 fully automatic
assault rifles, and 2700 new light armored vehicles, as well as riot gear
including body armor. DHS has also invested $2 million with a contractor that
recently apologized for its production of shooting targets depicting elderly
gun owners and even pregnant women and children in residential settings, after
photos and publicity of the targets recently gained widespread exposure.
As it turned out, these claims have proven
to be very accurate, as even Media Matters admitted that DHS officials made the
1.6 billion rounds purchase as they were also busy denying it. The organization
also insisted that “the order for 2717 new light armored vehicles [came] from
the United States Marine Corps – not the Department of Homeland Security.” This
claim seems baseless, as all photos have clearly shown the DHS emblem
emblazoned on the tanks in question.
All these dismissive reports against the
supposedly “misleading” claim of the DHS stockpiling effort can be traced back
to a February 14 Associated Press report, lacking any investigative basis, that
simply repeated the statement from DHS official Peggy Dixon, who claimed the
bulk ammo purchases to have been made in order to save money, and that the
bullets were solely intended for military and federal law enforcement training
purposes. This claim becomes weaker upon consideration that hollow-point
ammunition is significantly more expensive than standard rounds, and military
spokesmen and ammunition experts contend that such bullets are unsuitable for
training purposes and have never been used for such a purpose.
Seemingly, at the very least, even if the
government isn’t preparing to make war against its own people, they are
preparing for civil unrest, which is suspect enough for the warranted concern
of the American people. The government may well be, however, deliberately
attempting to restrict the supply of ammunition, thus the functionality of
firearms, from the American people. It has never been a well-kept secret that
the Obama administration is no big fan of the Second Amendment. The
longstanding fears of many have begun to be shared by several of our elected
officials who are increasingly becoming more vocal in their concerns about the
government’s attempt to strip citizens of their right to keep and bear arms.
Recently, as a guest on Aaron Klein’s radio show, Oklahoma Republican Sen.
James Inholfe accused the Obama administration of buying up unprecedented
levels of ammunitions as a means to intentionally bypass the Second Amendment
until law-abiding citizens “can’t even buy ammunition because government is
purchasing so much.” Inholfe cited last month’s testimony from DHS Chief
Procurement Officer Nick Nayak who said DHS has the right to buy up as much ammunition
as it deems necessary. He mentioned that the ammo grab is an ongoing concern,
as even still “they’re planning to buy 750 million rounds. Well, that is more
than three times the amount that our soldiers are using for training to defend
our nation. So, it’s just another effort to restrict gun activity and
ownership.” The senator is in the process of introducing the Ammunition
Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) bill that will limit “non-defense,
armed federal agencies to pre-Obama levels of ammunition.”
There now seems to be ample evidence that
our federal government, namely the Obama administration, is up to no good when
it comes to the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding American citizens.
Historically speaking, this is a very alarming cause for concern. Hopefully,
this concern then will continue to be shared by more elected officials in our
local, state, and federal governments, as well as among our military and law
enforcement communities. Lou Dobbs likely said it best with the following statement:
“It’s like I tell anyone who brushes off what I try to tell them as simple
‘conspiracy theory.’ At some point it stops being a theory, and is in fact a
conspiracy. I also remind them that we’re not talking about science fiction or
aliens here. We’re talking about the very REAL potential of government
misconduct towards its own people; something that has happened time and time
again in history.”
