450 Million

Discussion in 'Freedom and Liberty' started by Cruisin Sloth, Jun 8, 2012.


  1. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    Somebody out there has decided that the Department of Homeland Security needs a whole lot of ammunition. Recently it was announced that ATK was awarded a contract to provide up to 450 MILLION hollow point bullets to the Department of Homeland Security over the next five years. Is it just me, or does that sound incredibly excessive? What in the world is the DHS going to do with 450 million rounds? What possible event would ever require that much ammunition? If the United States was ever invaded, it would be the job of the U.S. military to defend the country, so that can't be it. So what are all of those bullets for? Who does the Department of Homeland Security plan to be shooting at? According to the U.S. Census, there are only about 311 million people living in the entire country. So why does the Department of Homeland Security need 450 million rounds of ammunition? Either this is an incredible waste or there is something that the Department of Homeland Security is not telling us.

    I could understand if the U.S. military was ordering ammunition in this quantity. When you fight wars you can go through ammunition very rapidly.

    But the Department of Homeland Security is only supposed to be shooting at people very rarely.

    It simply does not make sense that they would need so much ammunition.

    The following is an excerpt from the official press release about this deal between ATK and the Department of Homeland Security....

    ATK announced that it is being awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) agreement from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS, ICE) for .40 caliber ammunition. This contract features a base of 12 months, includes four option years, and will have a maximum volume of 450 million rounds.

    ATK was the incumbent and won the contract with its HST bullet, which has proven itself in the field. The special hollow point effectively passes through a variety of barriers and holds its jacket in the toughest conditions. HST is engineered for 100-percent weight retention, limits collateral damage, and avoids over-penetration.

    "We are proud to extend our track record as the prime supplier of .40 caliber duty ammunition for DHS, ICE," said Ron Johnson, President of ATK's Security and Sporting group.
    But this is not the only kind of ammo that the DHS is placing an order for.

    Business Insider is also reporting that the Department of Homeland Security is seeking to buy 175 million rifle ammunition rounds....

    We've also learned that the Department has an open bid for a stockpile of rifle ammo. Listed on the federal business opportunities network, they're looking for up to 175 million rounds of .233 caliber ammo to be exact. The 223 is almost exactly the same round used by NATO forces, the 5.56 x 45mm.
    This all comes at a time when gun sales are absolutely going through the roof in the United States.

    Gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co. recently announced that it would be suspending new orders until May because it received orders for more than one million guns during the months of January and February.

    The following announcement about this suspension of sales comes from their official website....

    The Company's Retailer Programs that were offered from January 1, 2012 through February 29, 2012 were very successful and generated significant orders from retailers to independent wholesale distributors for Ruger firearms.
    Year-to-date, the independent wholesale distributors placed orders with the Company for more than one million Ruger firearms.
    Despite the Company's continuing successful efforts to increase production rates, the incoming order rate exceeds our capacity to rapidly fulfill these orders. Consequently, the Company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders.
    The Company expects to resume the normal acceptance of orders by the end of May 2012.
    Since Barack Obama first took office, gun sales in America have risen to extraordinary levels.

    Overall, more than 10 million guns were sold in the United States during 2011.

    And gun sales have continued to rise at a brisk pace in 2012. The following was recently posted on Yahoo News....

    The NSSF said that 920,840 instant criminal background checks were made in January alone, a gain of 17.3% over the same month in 2011. This now makes it the 20th consecutive month of increases. While using the number of background checks is a good measurement of sales, it doesn't paint the whole picture as some checks are used for the purchases of multiple firearms. Also, some private transfers and sales from gun shows are exempt, making the actual number of guns sold higher.
    According to Gallup, 41 percent of all Americans said that they owned a gun in 2010. But when that question was asked again in 2011, that number had risen to 47 percent.

    Clearly, a lot of Americans are feeling the need to arm themselves.

    Unfortunately, they may find themselves short on ammunition for those guns considering how much ammo the government is buying up.

    So what is causing everyone to buy so many guns?

    Well, without a doubt we are likely to see a rise in crime as the U.S. economy continues to crumble. People want to be able to protect themselves and their families when everything falls apart. In fact, we are already starting to see some really violent home invasions in many parts of the nation. Many in the prepper movement are deeply concerned about the direction this country is headed and they want to be prepared for whatever happens.

    Of course the rising gang problem in America is a major concern too. According to the FBI there are now 1.4 million gang members living in the United States, and that number has increased by 40 percent since 2009. Many urban communities have essentially been taken over by these gangs, and many of these gangs are definitely not shy about using violence. Average Americans that live in these communities want to be able to have a fighting chance against these gangs.

    But that doesn't explain why the DHS needs so much ammunition. Yes, our world is becoming increasingly unstable, but under what conditions does the DHS ever anticipate firing off 450 million rounds?

    A C&P
     
  2. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    I think the idea was to purchase a bulk quantity to possibly make the contract or to save money --the latter is not like the government to do, but it is a possibility. Since the merging of all alphabet agencies (as well as police corporations who fall under DHS), this single umbrella entity does in fact employ a large number of agents and officers who require training.
    This isn't exactly a round that can be purchased anywhere, it seems to be specifically purchased for LEO.

    With this taken into consideration, the 450 million rounds of .40 pistol cartridges don't really amount to much. Heck, even I can burn a thousand rounds in a day with my carbine and pistol.

    The Department Of Homeland Security Is Buying 450 Million New Bullets - Business Insider


    It looks to be a contract buy, nothing more. However, there are other contracts up for bid soon, including 175 million rounds of .223 ammunition the DHS has an open bid on. It's true, we live in a police state, but I wouldn't be surprised if they buy large quantities of ammunition. I would be more worried about the legislature and the adoption of increasing policies which serve to empower and shield the LEO/MIL domestically.
     
    BTPost likes this.
  3. wrc223

    wrc223 Monkey+

    Then I shall load up 450 million +1.
     
    Redneck Rebel likes this.
  4. Cephus

    Cephus Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Do ya think just maybe they are trying to tie up the manufacture so they can't sell to the public !!!

    Just a thought !!
     
    Seawolf1090 likes this.
  5. oldawg

    oldawg Monkey+++

    Or just maybe they realise how much we the people have been putting by and hope to have a chance.
     
    Seawolf1090 and Cephus like this.
  6. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    Several million Citizens with scoped rifles trump a few thousand Agents with pistols and poodle-poppers....... [freedom]
     
    oldawg and Brokor like this.
  7. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

  8. Redneck Rebel

    Redneck Rebel Monkey++

    $28/50 round box
    Tactical® HST - Google Search

    If it performs as well or better than Hornady's Critical Duty I'll have to consider switching. .40 Critical Duty is running me about $18/20 round box.
     
  9. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    Always good to know where supplies can be had.
     
  10. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    At the price you indicated, it will cost 252 million dollars to purchase 450 million rounds...

    My point was, that the government contract for 450 million rounds of .40 ammunition was a special plan, not "oh look what's on the shelf at HST today, let's go to Wal-Mart instead."
     
survivalmonkey SSL seal        survivalmonkey.com warrant canary
17282WuJHksJ9798f34razfKbPATqTq9E7