Rep. Jason Chaffetz said Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security is using roughly 1,000 rounds of ammunition more per person than the U.S. Army, as he and other lawmakers sharply questioned DHS officials on their "massive" bullet buys.
"It is entirely ... inexplicable why the Department of Homeland Security needs so much ammunition," Chaffetz, R-Utah, said at a hearing.
Chaffetz, who chairs one of the House oversight subcommittees holding the hearing Thursday, revealed that the department currently has more than 260 million rounds in stock. He said the department bought more than 103 million rounds in 2012 and used 116 million that same year -- among roughly 70,000 agents.
If you have tried to purchase ammunition lately, you have probably been as frustrated as everyone else. Stockpiling is partly to blame, but it seems that some government agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, are stockpiling more than they need; so much so, that the question has become are they purchasing ammunition or are they trying to purchase the domestic production of ammunition?
In response to unnecessary stockpiling by non-military government agencies, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) today introduced in their respective chambers the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) Act of 2013.
-fl