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Old April 17, 2013, 03:40 PM   #1
jag2
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Homeland ammo order

I remember a couple of weeks ago reading about Homeland security ordering I think like 1.6 billion rounds of ammo and that was contributing to the current shortages. Does anyone know if that came from a reliable verifiable source or just more internet nonsense? I started to mention it to someone but then I couldn't remember where I saw it and I try not to contribute to the rumor mill.
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Old April 17, 2013, 03:47 PM   #2
ShootingNut
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It sure appears to be legitimate and correct.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphben...-conversation/
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Old April 17, 2013, 03:59 PM   #3
SHE3PDOG
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Quote:
So, after reading something similar in another blog and posting about this a couple times in some other threads, I figured I'd just throw this up with sources to quell some confusion about the DHS ammo buy recently.

Firstly, according to infowars.com the DHS has a contract for 1.4 billion rounds of ammo. Let me start by saying this is not true. The real excerpt from the synopsis states:

Quote:
“The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Glynco, Georgia anticipates awarding multiple award indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity (IDIQ) firm fixed price (FFP) contracts for commercial leaded training ammunition (CLTA) of various calibers for law enforcement officer firearms training courses at the following FLETC facilities Glynco, GA, Artesia, NM, Cheltenham, MD and Charleston, SC and to other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies. The Government guarantees a minimum of 1,000 rounds per year on each resultant contract. Contracts will be for a base year and four (4) 12 month option periods,”
So, they (FLETC, of which DHS is the parent organization) haven't even bought the ammo yet. They have only pitched contracts to do so. These contracts have no definitive quantity, so it is pure speculation that they may actually be for 1.4 billion rounds. Also, they are for a period of time spanning 5 years (optional for contract). That smells like someone is trying to stretch connections just a little too far to me.

Let's pretend for a second that 1.4 billion is the real number and an ammo manufacturer might actually be able to meet their quota for the various calibers (.38, 9mm, .40s&w, .45acp, 5.56, and 7.62 according to the synopsis posted by infowars.com) desired by the DHS in a single year instantly (1.4 billion rounds divided by 5 years equals 280 million rounds a year).

280 million rounds a year is a lot of friggin' ammo, right? Wrong. The DHS has a little over 240k employees and of them, 130k tote around firearms. That comes out to a grand total of about 2150 per armed federal agent. Still think that's a lot? Well lets take a look at their training and testing regiment.

Now, unfortunately, the FLETC official training site does not list the amount of ammunition they use for their classes, but most of them run between 3-7 days (for new guys, there are courses a few months long) with what seems to be a full days worth of work in every day. If we were to compare this to a civilian class where 1000 rounds for a 4 day class is common place, we begin to see something form: reason.

If an employee went to train just twice a year, they would be running slim on ammo. Furthermore, this purchase is not inconsistent with the DHS contracts that we have seen in the past. Also, it is important to note that while FLETC is indeed a part of DHS, it does not only train DHS affiliates. It also trains state and local cops!

I'll let you draw your own conclusions, but I figured you all might like to know the facts.

Just a reminder, there is misinformation on all sides of a debate. Don't be a victim of assumption; research the facts for yourself.



Sources:
http://www.infowars.com/dhs-to-purch...ounds-of-ammo/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...rtage/1919321/

http://www.fletc.gov/training

http://www.dhs.gov/
My post in the "Repository of Reliable Sources and Citations" sticky thread at the top of the Law and Civil Rights board.
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Old April 17, 2013, 04:05 PM   #4
Brian Pfleuger
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Please search the forum for previous threads. Suffice to say, it is a conspiracy theory with no basis in reality.
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