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FOX NEWS NOW Why is gov't buying all the ammo
jnphil
Member Posts: 74 ✭✭
Will be having a discussion over why the feds are buying "millions and millions" rounds of ammo.
Comments
Doug Twice pointed out that it is not an economic decision if Hollow Point ammo is being bought for Target Practice.
They did do a good job. Pointed out he difference of hollow point and target ammo and the fact that it is 5 bullets for every American.
Well it took 50,000 rounds to kill one veitcong troop in nam and 250k to kill one insurgent in Iraq/Afghanistan. 5 is hardly enough.
This was more about the 15 congressmen that have questioned the DHS about why the purchases. They did not speculate other than Megyn Kelly asking about saving $ through bulk purchases. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)brought about the point that so much have the purchases have been hollow point, the economical savings goes away as they are so much more than target ammo.
Here is a link to a good article with the questions asked by LaMalfa to the DHS.
http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/03/dhs-ammunition-stockpile-over-a-dozen-congressmen-demanding-investigation/comment-page-2/
If that one agency is supplying all fed cops, it would be a huge order.
Could be a budget thing. The awful baseline budgeting that the gov't uses punishes departments or agencies that don't spend all their money each year. So as the end of the fiscal years draws close they look for ways to spend any left over money. Buying truckloads of ammo would do that.
Or, they are stocking up in case they need to shoot every American 5 times.
Too old to live...too young to die...
However, they have not bought 1.6 billion rounds nor have they cornered the ammo market.
They have answered the Congressman, that was on Friday. Have not found the text or video yet, but various news agencies mentioned it.
They previously answered the same request from Senator Coburn:
http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/rightnow?ContentRecord_id=D5BC6DA6-CDF8-4C4F-886E-0CDEB52C9FEB
http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=ce355026-b2cc-48b7-bed2-b965bd69fecb
http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=9cde768f-bb3a-4fd9-8176-1745c21519c2
I've said it before and it is worth repeating, you have to understand that there is no such thing as a government contract equaling a sale. Government contracts these days, and for quite a while now, are "we may buy up to this much but hey no promises on that". That's it, not even a promise of the minimum only a statement of the maximum.
The bigger the limit, the better the price. It's a gimmick that suckers many companies.
Because when the sales orders arrive against the contract, they rarely add up to the maximum. Not even close.
Working in the industry as I do I've seen it too many times to get excited about a contract award. Show me the sales orders or it's all pie in the sky.
What is real is what a lousy and inherently dishonest business practice these contracts are. Vendors must be able to meet the maximum contract award should the sales orders ever arrive. That means capacity and personnel, which cost money. No assurance, rarely a minimum buy provision in the contract.