Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Following controversy over its purchase of around 1.2
billion bullets in the last six months alone, the Department of Homeland
Security has put out a new solicitation for over 200 million more
rounds of ammunition, some of which are designated to be used by
snipers.
A series of new solicitations posted on the FedBizOpps website show that the DHS is looking to purchase 200 million rounds of .223 rifle ammunition over the next four years, as well as 176,000 rounds of .308 caliber 168 grain hollow point boat tail (HPBT) rounds in addition to 25,000 rounds of blank .308 caliber bullets.
As James Smith over at the Prepper Podcast website highlights, “It is the type of ammunition and not necessarily the quantity that is troubling.”
Smith points out that the DHS’ acquisition of .308 rounds is of concern because they are set to be used by well-trained snipers.
“All of the sniper grade ammunition is being used by
trained, or in-the-process-of-being-trained snipers,” writes Smith,
noting that the math adds up to 135,384 potential kills for the snipers
to make, using the 176,000 rounds of ammunition, basing the figures on
the fact that United States Army and Marine Corps snipers in the Vietnam
War expended 1.3 rounds of ammunition for each claimed and verified
kill.
As this police training website documents, .308 caliber 168 grain bullets are the ammunition of choice for experienced law enforcement snipers.
The number of bullets purchased by the DHS now adds up
to a staggering 1.4 billion over the last six months alone. Although all
those bullets won’t be delivered at once, the DHS’ commitment to
purchasing such an arsenal of ammo is both worrying and ironic given
that Americans are being harassed and treated with suspicion for buying a couple of boxes of ammo at their local gun store.
Following a barrage of questions about why the federal
agency has purchased so many bullets, the DHS has refused to respond and
even gone to the lengths of censoring information relating to solicitations for ammunition.
The DHS’ decision back in March to purchase of 450 million rounds of .40-caliber hollow point bullets
that are designed to expand upon entry and cause maximum organ damage
prompted questions as to why the federal agency required such powerful
bullets and in such large quantities merely for training purposes.
This was followed up by a more recent order for a further 750 million rounds of assorted ammunition, including bullets that can penetrate walls.
The mainstream media responded to the controversy
by focusing on a purchase of 174,000 bullets by the Social Security
Administration while completely ignoring the fact that the DHS had
purchased well over a billion rounds.
Although the Associated Press and other media outlets
dismissed concerns over the federal government purchasing large
quantities of ammunition as paranoia, the fact that the DHS is preparing
for civil unrest cannot be denied.
Having recently acquired riot gear, the DHS also purchased a number of bullet-proof checkpoint booths that include ‘stop and go’ lights.
Last year, Department of Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano directed ICE
to prepare for a mass influx of immigrants into the United States,
calling for the plan to deal with the “shelter” and “processing” of
large numbers of people.
The U.S. Army has also been preparing for domestic disorder.
A recently leaked US Army Military Police training manual for
“Civil Disturbance Operations” outlines how military assets are to be
used domestically to quell riots, confiscate firearms and even kill
Americans on U.S. soil during mass civil unrest.
The manual includes lists of weapons to be used against “rioters” or “demonstrators,” including “antiriot grenades.” It also advises troops to carry their guns in the “safe port arms” stance, a psychological tactic aimed at “making a show of force before rioters.” Non-lethal weapons and water cannons are also included.
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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com.
He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular
fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News.
