House Votes to Limit Department of Homeland Security Ammo Purchases

The Department of Homeland Security's massive ammunition stockpiling has been the source of many a conspiracy theory in the wake of one of the largest ammo droughts in U.S. history.

Now, the DHS is being ordered to cease the spending unless the department can justify it.

Examiner.com reports the U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening to bar the DHS from stockpiling more ammo until DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano can explain to Congress the department's need for the cache, reportedly about 1.6 billion rounds.

"Given this large purchase, the American people and members of Congress rightfully had concerns and questions," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who sponsored the amendment to the DHS' 2014 budget, which passed 234-192. "This is a responsible amendment which ensures that Congress and the American people are aware of the necessity and the cost of ammunition prior to entering into new contracts for procurement."

According to a Fox News report, the amendment will keep the DHS from purchasing anymore ammo until it submits a comprehensive report on its spending and ammo usage to Congress.

Napolitano has so far refused to explain the DHS' logic in purchasing so much ammo — along with contracts for $900,000 worth of "replacement parts" with SIG Sauer and Heckler & Koch, $143,000 worth of submachine guns from H&K, and 2,717 "mine-resistant protected" vehicles, information made public by Federal Business Opportunities.

However, according to Fox News, DHS procurement officer Nick Nayak said during an April House oversight subcommittee hearing the DHS planned on purchasing 750 million rounds for basic and advanced federal law enforcement training over the next five years. The rest, Nayak said, would be appropriated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which according to Fox, requested the following in 2012: 450 million .40-caliber duty rounds; 40 million rifle rounds per year, totaling 200 million rounds over five years; 176,000 rifle rounds as part of a separate contract; and 25,000 blanks.

It's concerning — if not downright frightening — to think of reasons the DHS could possibly have to spend so much of our tax dollars on such a vast arsenal when we're having trouble arming ourselves. It would be fascinating if it weren't so horrifying.

Hopefully our questions will be answered in due time, and we pray the rationale is not as sinister as some imagine it to be.

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Think this recent wave of gun control is tough? See how President Obama's proposals compare to 1994.