I have no idea what to make of this story. It’s been circulating for months, and I still don’t know if it’s true or if it’s just a black helicopter thing.
The gist of it is that government agencies, which have no legitimate reason to do so that I can see, are stockpiling ammunition. I’ve read reports of government agencies ranging from the Post Office to the Department of Health and Human Services purchasing enough ammo to re-do Iwo Jima. What I haven’t read is anything to corroborate or explain these assertions.
Is it in a budget somewhere? Why are they doing it? Where are they keeping all this ordnance? This much ammo is not something you can just throw in the trunk of your car.
All I’ve read are assertions that it’s happening. The assertions are numerous and sometimes come from at least fairly reputable sources. I’ve lived long enough to know that just about the time something seems totally wacko, it turns out the be true. On the other hand, I’ve lived long enough to see and hear urban legends rise to the level of accepted truth with large segments of the population that have no truth to them whatsoever.
I’m writing this post to try to flush this one out a bit. If it’s true, the American people deserve some answers. If it’s not true, we need to round file it and get back to things that are happening and that do matter.
Here’s an excerpt from an article from The Blaze about a proposed piece of legislation that is being co-sponsored by one of my own United States Senators from Oklahoma. According to the article, the legislation asks for “transparency and accountability” concerning the issue of government agencies and their “stockpiles of ammunition.”
I wouldn’t mind some of that transparency and accountability stuff myself.
Republicans in the Senate and House are expected to introduce a joint bill Friday that would limit the amount of ammunition that federal agencies are allowed to buy and stockpile over the next six months, the Washington Free Beacon reports.
The bill, titled the Ammunition Management for More Accountability or “AMMO” Act, is being proposed after several lawmakers have voiced concerns about some federal agencies, like the Department of Homeland Security, seemingly stockpiling large quantities of ammo.
“DHS, for instance, has placed two-years worth of ammunition, or nearly 247 million rounds, in its inventory,” the Free Beacon notes.
In a statement provided to the Washington Free Beacon, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), said federal agencies must provide more “transparency and accountability” in regards to its “stockpiles of ammunition.”
“President Obama has been adamant about curbing law-abiding Americans’ access and opportunities to exercise their Second Amendment rights…One way the Obama administration is able to do this is by limiting what’s available in the market with federal agencies purchasing unnecessary stockpiles of ammunition,” the statement adds.
[T]he legislation would prevent all government agencies except for the Defense Department from purchasing and storing what lawmakers say is an excess amount of ammunition.
The bill’s reach would include DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), two agencies that have found themselves at the center of the ammo controversy.
“As the public learned in a House committee hearing this week, the Department of Homeland Security has two years worth of ammo on hand and allots nearly 1,000 more rounds of ammunition for DHS officers than is used on average by our Army officers,” Inhofe said. “The AMMO Act of 2013 will enforce transparency and accountability of federal agencies’ ammunition supply while also protecting law-abiding citizens access to these resources.” (Read the rest here.)
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