At Least 91 People Reported Dead After Monstrous Oklahoma Tornado…120+ Injured…Many Children Among Dead…Some Children Drowned…Heartbreaking Pictures…Reporter Struggles to Share Terrible News…

Watch Live: Continuing Coverage of Oklahoma Tornado Aftermath

Government

Why Is Homeland Security Buying 450 Million Rounds of Hollow Point Bullets?

Mar. 30, 2012 5:46pm Tiffany Gabbay

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded defense contractor ATK with an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) agreement for .40 caliber hollow point ammunition. According to an official ATK press release, U.S. agents will receive a maximum of 450 million rounds over a five-year period.

The following is an excerpt from the press release:

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. [...]

“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.

The hollow point, of course, features a pitted or hollow tip intended to expand upon entering its target. ATK says its ammunition is “engineered for 100-percent weight retention, limits collateral damage, and avoids over-penetration” — all hallmarks of the hollow point.

This is not the first time DHS has placed such an order, however. In 2009, it signed a contract with Winchester for the procurement of 200 million hollow points.

The order may seem unusually high, but gun experts I talked to said it is not necessarily unusual and simply reflects a long-running practice by DHS and law enforcement agencies to use any remaining budget surplus on items routinely used and that would not be called into question. The idea being that if an agency does not use its entire budget in expenditures, the government will lower its budget the following year.

On the other hand, the decreased retail availability for hollow points does drive up demand, and hence price for such ammunition. Whether the consequence is an intended one, remains to be seen.

So is this a calculated move by the government to curb ammunition availability to civilians or is it simply another way for it to spend money? Weigh in with your thoughts below.

Benghazi, IRS, AP...What's next? Only TheBlaze TV offers the truth from Glenn Beck, Andrew Wilkow, and Real News from TheBlaze. Get instant access and a free trial here.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (326)

george carrier
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 4:52am
Hitler had the SS ,obama DHS america connect the dots, it’s for us from agenda 21, patroits act ,and rex 84 please look it up they went to kill us thats our senertors hand the house to the presendents obama depopulation policy exposed! on u tube

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
DTJ
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 4:31am
Some things to consider…An IDIQ contract is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity type of contract, which allows the ordering activities to resupply as the items are used. DHS did not buy 450M rounds, they awarded a contract with a 450M round ceiling. Orders are filled using delivery orders against the IDIQ contract. When agencies need more rounds they award a delivery order and more rounds are sent. The 450M round ceiling is set so they have enough ceiling to meet the five year demand. If they hit the ceiling, then the contract must be recompeted which is a lengthy process. Every DHS law enforcement officer must qualify on their duty weapons more than once a year, If each law enforcement officer uses 300 to 500 rounds per year, while maintaining supplies x 200,000 x five years… how many rounds is that? Do the math. While I am not a fan of large government, I do not believe this is cause for alarm…this is a typical DHS contract used to supply standard demand. Purchasing under a single large contract is called stategic sourcing and allows the Government to save money by buying in larger quantities, on one large contract versus several smaller contracts. To fully understand how many rounds are being used you would have to know how many rounds are ordered on the delivery orders. You would also need to compare what has been used in the past versus the current orders…i think you will find the numbers have stayed fairly consistent.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
universalphilos
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 3:58am
December 3, 1976: “But we should say unto you that knowledge was brought forth, as we did come forth, for the preparation of the coming of the Messiah. Let all things and all boundaries, let them drop away. Bring forth your gathered knowledge. Bring forth the love, compassion and hope and faith from without the whole world.
Soon, if the Eagle does not spread its wings — this land of yours, this of America, this of the United States of America — if it does not spread its wings, the land of Mexico shall be its greatest loss. If your politicians do not act and act suddenly, this land, which is free to worship God, yet has dictators within it, shall be gone. For we have said before, the Fifth Angel [now Sixth] walks upon this earth. Now is a turning point for this land. If war should come forth, which now is ready to strike in the land, then pestilence and famine shall soon follow, and earthquakes shall rattle the land and divide it….”

[Note: Last night on the TV show, Border Wars, US Border Patrol were confronted and outnumbered on the US side by what appear to be uniformed Mexican military who rescued the drugs and drug runners using larger automatic weapons pointed at the border patrol agents. No one fired, hoping not to start an international incident, as the foreign militia escorted the drugs and runners back into Mexico.]

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- universalphilos
  Posted on March 31, 2012 at 4:16am
  Note: We know that Hezbollah is in Mexico working with the cartels. We know that Hezbollah is already in the US, and that one in four illegals the US border Patrol has captured for how many years are “other than Mexican,” many from states that sponsor terrorism. We heard the leaders of Iran say last month that if the U.S. interferes with their nuclear program (or helps Israel) that Iran will attack from within. One consideration for the use of hollow points is that Homeland Security is planning to secure our homeland if need be.
  
  Report this comment
fixer
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 3:05am
they bring hollow points,i use armor piercing

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
warhorse_03826
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 2:38am
anyone else remember back in 2009 when ICE bought **200 MILLION** of the same caliber from Winchester?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
SHOWMESTATEGUY
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 2:37am
I’ll have to learn more about this but it doesn’t sound good. How many conservatives in America? 360 million Americans divided by half = 180 million people. That would mean 2.5 bullets per person.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
sillyfreshness
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 2:24am
This isn’t too hard to figure out. DHS is at war with white, middle class Americans (now being called “terrorists”). There are about 223 million whites in the US. That makes one round (for execution) for every white person and some left over in case of jams and misfires. Not too hard to figure out our government’s nefarious agenda. The irony of all this is the fact that all these white, middle class Americans elected the very government that turned against them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dys3xE2Bnk

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
eramthgin
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 2:18am
They have enough to shoot every citizen twice. The would have to shoot 20 rounds every second for a year to exhaust their stock pile. Something is not right.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
JACKTHETOAD
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 1:56am
Oh, what the hell. If they come after me, I’ll be happy if I take 5 or 6 of them with me.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
KNaggieland
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 1:44am
1 agent 2 trips to the range per month 250 rounds fired per trip = 6000 rounds per year in practice.

6000 rounds multiplied by 15000 agents = 90,000,000 rounds per year.

90,000,000 rounds multiplied by 5 years = 450,000,000 rounds.

this appears to be a completely rational contract.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Slidertzu
  Posted on March 31, 2012 at 1:38pm
  God…from reading most of these posts I was beginning to think that facts were not allowed. Thank you.
  
  Report this comment
tiredofprogressives
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 12:33am
American Manufacturers should NOT sell to the US Government plain and simple.

Tell them NO.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 12:16am
They Need bullets to shoot us when Obama Declares martial law.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
cobra two
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 12:11am
If this article doesn’t send up a RED Flag then I don’t know what will. I can promise you they ain’t buyin it to save me and you from the bad guys. WE are the BAD guys in their eyes.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
IndyGuy
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 11:40pm
Now why would Homeland Security feel the need for 450 million bullets??? There’s only 340 million Americans….Perhaps they are taking into consideration that every 4th shot will be a miss…

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
wontbeasy
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 11:40pm
They use a .40 cal because they at one point issued 10mm (10mm came before the .40s&w some people who prefer a 10mm refer to the s&w as “short and weak” which is a shorter round with the same diameter) and found that the gun was a little big for smaller hands so they went with the 40 per the lack of stopping power of the 9mm… As for me, my 45 will do just fine

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- sillyfreshness
  Posted on March 31, 2012 at 2:41am
  The whole story of the .40 S&W seems like a lot of government waste in action. They developed it because some FBI agents were killed in Miami in the 1980s. I think the agents were carrying .38 specials at the time. So they could have simply switched to the .45 like the military was using. However, it was much more cost effective to spend $50 million dollars developing a round that was less powerful than the .45, which had been around for 70 years and proven. Why simply switch to the .45 when you could spend tens of millions and years of time coming up with something unnecessary?
  
  Report this comment
- Slidertzu
  Posted on March 31, 2012 at 1:44pm
  Smith & Wesson developed the .40 caliber round pretty much in secret to protect their research. I believe Glock was involved in this also. When the F.B.I. found out about the round and tested it they liked it.
  
  Report this comment
tharpdevenport
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 11:10pm
Like any war against your own people, you got to build up a supply, only I suspect this is for his “civillian” army.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Indymaverick
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 11:05pm
They have already re-educated the kids in public schools. They just buying ammo for the rest of us that don`t comply.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Donald727
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 11:03pm
Change “bullets” to cartridges and you’ll all make more sense.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- tylertxsteve
  Posted on March 30, 2012 at 11:35pm
  ar·tridge
  noun \ˈkär-trij, dialect ˈka-trij\
  Definition of CARTRIDGE
  : a case or container that holds a substance, device, or material which is difficult, troublesome, or awkward to handle and that usually can be easily changed: as a : a tube (as of metal) containing a complete charge for a firearm and usually an initiating device (as a primer) b : a case containing an explosive charge for blasting c : an often cylindrical container for insertion into a larger mechanism or apparatus GOD I HATE IT PEOPLE AR STUPID
  
  Report this comment
Voice1percent
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 10:46pm
Well they sure as heck ain’t buying em to kill the Mexicans pouring across our borders that’s fer sure.

obumbo free in Jan 2013!!!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
j_blaze14
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 10:17pm
wouldn’t it be cheeper to just buy the factory? oh who cares, they are just soending MY money anyway.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
tylertxsteve
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 9:51pm
The peasants, what will we do about The average peasants. hollow points cost more than steel jackets….

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
JoeyBee
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 9:40pm
1. These are the current issued ammo in DHS.
http://www.ammunitionstore.com/products/40-s-w-ammo-180gr-federal-hst-jhp-xm40hc-50-round-box.html

2. They just purchased more, but we just switched for a lighter grain of 155 (XM40HB) to a heavier 180 (XM40HC).

3. Most armed DHS personel have at least 30 boxes stashed away in their closet. 3 new boxes per quarter. (In case of zombies)

4. Every DHS employee takes a oath of office once hired.

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
5 U.S.C. §3331

http://www.opm.gov/constitution_initiative/oath.asp

Just my 2 cents

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
country_hick
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 9:33pm
Another report said that part of that order is 175 MILLION rounds of .223. They carry sidearms as a standard duty weapon. What are the .223 for???

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Seagal45
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 9:32pm
At least it’s creating jobs around here, we have an ATK bullet factory in my town and they have always made the bulk of their money on government contracts. Personally I prefer a .357 and stocking up hasn’t been a problem…yet.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- 4GODUSAANDISRAEL
  Posted on March 30, 2012 at 9:52pm
  They’re already getting ready to add 40 plus more jobs at the plant in my town
  
  Report this comment
acovenantinblood
Posted on March 30, 2012 at 9:25pm
Why would they waste bullets when they have those air powered cattle killer pistons?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.