Last week Forbes Magazine came out with an article about the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchasing 1.6 Billion rounds of ammunition. That’s enough to sustain a war for more than 20 years – in America. Why would a domestic security force need all of this ammo?
I have been asked by various people to comment on this recent article in the mainstream financial magazine, Forbes: 1.6 Billion Rounds of Ammo for Homeland Security? It’s Time for a National Conversation.
Text: Foster Gamble, part owner in Procter & Gamble, P&P
I am happy to address the article because it brings up some useful perspectives for us all to inspect. I encourage you to read the Forbes article, if you haven’t already, before reading my analysis below. It will make a lot more sense that way!
As reported, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has an open purchase order for 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition, some for hollow-point rounds* (forbidden by international law in war), and a large amount for specialized snipers. This would be enough to sustain a war in America for more than 20 years…less than 6 million rounds a month were used at the height of the Iraq war.
So, first there is the critical question:
“Why in the world would the US domestic security force need enough bullets to wage an Iraq-style war for 20 years?”
When the DHS was first caught buying these huge volumes of ammunition, the official excuse was that they were for “training exercises.” That didn’t hold up, because even the military doesn’t use very expensive, hugely destructive “hollow point” bullets for target practice.
*hollow-point rounds = hålspetsammunition