The Denver Post ran an article last month detailing the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) purchase order of 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition. As is usually the case, such a story didn't spread to forefront of American consciousness, but shouldn't it?
Let's consider the facts. During the Iraq War we have expended no more than 6 million rounds of ammunition a month. This current purchase would therefore be enough to supply our troops in Iraq for more than 22 years. Furthermore, we're not in a war on our own soil (yet). Why buy all of this ammunition when things are peaceful on the home front?
A better question might be, why is so much of this ammunition in the form of hollow points, many of which are specialized for snipers? Hollow points, mind you, are banned under international law for use during war.
As if this weren't enough, the DHS is also beginning to acquire and subsequently show off military personnel carrier tanks that are capable of withstanding the blows from IEDs and have bullet proof glass capable of deflecting 50 caliber rounds. These tanks are no longer in Iraq, they are on American streets. Why? We are not in the business here of providing conspiracy theories, there is plenty of that already on the internet, but still, this seems like an inordinate amount of firepower to protect a land that has no immediate threat.
So far the government has dismissed the large order as nothing more than an instance of buying in bulk to save money, and this very well may be true. However, the preponderance of ammunition, the tanks, and not to mention the domestic drone program now taking flight, should all give citizens reason for pause.
In all likelihood, this is far more innocent than it seems. The Department of Homeland Security likely has no secret agenda, and this is probably an organic process that happens at every level of organization. When you give a group an authoritative position with a budget, it will do everything it can to maximize its power within the confines of its budget. The question therefore isn't, "why are they spending all this money on ammunition?" Rather, we should be asking ourselves, "why are we giving them all of this money in the first place?"
