Thread: Agencies tamp down speculation over hollow-point ammo purchases

Agencies tamp down speculation over hollow-point ammo purchases

Published August 17, 2012
FoxNews.com

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Obscure federal agencies triggered a firestorm of conspiracy theories this week after they put out orders for thousands of rounds of deadly hollow-point bullets.

But the agencies, most recently the Social Security Administration, are trying to put a damper on the speculation -- noting the ammunition is "standard issue" and simply used for mandatory federal training sessions.

"Our special agents need to be armed and trained appropriately," said a message on the official blog for Social Security's inspector general office explaining the purchases.

The bullet purchases drew widespread attention as the website Infowars.com published several stories on them that were linked off the widely read Drudge Report and other sites. Infowars.com catalogued a string of recent purchases -- first by the Department of Homeland Security, then by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and then the Social Security Administration.

The Social Security Administration solicitation, posted Aug. 7, called for 174,000 rounds of ".357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacketed hollow point pistol ammunition."

Infowars.com speculated that the purchases were being made in preparation for "civil unrest," imagining a scenario of economic collapse where seniors could cause "disorder" if denied their Social Security benefits.

But the Social Security Administration statement, posted Thursday, noted that their agents need firearms and ammo in the course of training, investigations and responding to threats against offices and employees.

"As we said in a recent post, our office has criminal investigators, or special agents, who are responsible for investigating violations of the laws that govern SSA's programs," the office said.

The agency said it has 295 special agents across 66 offices in the country. "These investigators have full law enforcement authority, including executing search warrants and making arrests," the statement said.

As for concern about the type of bullets -- hollow points, which expand upon impact -- the statement said the type is "standard issue" and is used during "mandatory quarterly firearms qualifications and other training sessions."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, found itself scrambling to respond to a similar report this week about an order for 46,000 rounds of ammo. Though the agency initially indicated it was for the National Weather Service -- leading to questions about why the National Weather Service could possibly need so many bullets -- a spokesman clarified the bullets are actually meant for the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement. A "clerical error" resulted in the order saying the ammo was for the weather service.

Spokesman Scott Smullen said the error's been fixed in the bidding system. He, too, said the ammo is "standard issue" and will be used by 63 enforcement personnel at NOAA during qualifications and training sessions.

"NOAA officers and agents enforce the nation's ocean and fishing laws to ensure a level playing field for fishermen and to protect marine species like whales, dolphins and turtles," he said.

According to NOAA, the specialized agents are supposed to have 200 rounds in their "duty bag," and qualification and training requires another 500-600 rounds per agent.

Agencies tamp down speculation over hollow-point ammo purchases | Fox News

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Government Security News
www.gsnmagazine.com/

Social Security Administration explains ammunition purchase

Fri, 2012-08-17 07:49 AM By: Mark Rockwell

The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Inspector General’s new Web blog on Aug. 16 sought to defuse news reports about its plans to purchase substantial amounts of handgun ammunition.

Reports in conservative news sites the week of Aug. 13 highlighted the SSA’s request for pricing quotes for 174,000 rounds of .357 Duty Carry Sig 125 grain bonded JHP hollow point bullet ammunition. The agency posted its request on Aug. 7 at the FedBizOps.gov Website, which led to media speculation about why the agency wanted so much hollow point ammunition.

The SSA’s OIG said the ammunition procurement follows all federal rules for ammunition purchases and will be used by its 295 special agents and supervisory special agents who work in its 66 field offices throughout the country. Those agents, said the OIG’s “Beyond the Numbers” blog, are charged with full law enforcement duties, including executing warrants and making arrests when laws governing its programs are violated.

“Our investigators are similar to your State or local police officers. They use traditional investigative techniques, and they are armed when on official duty,” it said.

In another post on the blog, the agency said in the first six months of Fiscal 2012, its agents closed 3,804 investigations—about 16 investigations per agent. Most of those, it said, involved disability payment fraud.

News reports questioned why the agency needed hollow point ammunition, which can cause more damage than regular bullets.

“Media reports expressed concerns over the type of ammunition ordered. In fact, this type of ammunition is standard issue for many law enforcement agencies,” said the OIG. “OIG’s special agents use this ammunition during their mandatory quarterly firearms qualifications and other training sessions, to ensure agent and public safety. Additionally, the ammunition our agents use is the same type used at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.”

The agency emphasized that its agents needed to be armed and trained to handle not only investigations of security fraud, but to respond to threats against Social Security Offices, employees and customers.

Threats against federal agencies are not uncommon. The SSA’s office in Ft. Smith, AR was shut down briefly after it received a threat on July 31, for instance. The head of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration estimated in 2010 that his office handled more than 1,200 threat and assault case referrals from the Internal Revenue Service between 2001 and 2008.

The OIG said protecting its facilities and personnel is critical because the SSA is processing more applications than ever, meaning more traffic in its offices. “Employee and visitor safety is the highest priority for OIG, which, together with the Federal Protective Services and local law enforcement, has jurisdiction over SSA workplaces.”

Social Security Administration explains ammunition purchase | Government Security News

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also @ http://www.alipac.us/f19/dhs-wont-ex...ullets-254428/

Why does Social Security need 174,000 bullets?

STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — It didn't take long for the Internet to start buzzing with conspiracy theories after the Social Security Administration posted a notice that it was purchasing 174,000 hollow-point bullets.

Why is the agency that provides benefits to retirees, disabled workers, widows and children stockpiling ammunition? Whom are they going to use it on?

"It's not outlandish to suggest that the Social Security Administration is purchasing the bullets as part of preparations for civil unrest," the website Infowars.com said.

Another website, The Daily Caller, said the bullets must be for use against American citizens, "since the SSA has never been used overseas to help foreign countries maintain control of their citizens."

The clamor became such a distraction for the agency that it dedicated a website to explaining the purchase. The explanation, it turns out, isn't as tantalizing as an arms buildup to defend against unruly senior citizens.

The bullets are for Social Security's office of inspector general, which has about 295 agents who investigate Social Security fraud and other crimes, said Jonathan L. Lasher, the agency's assistant IG for external relations.

The agents carry guns and make arrests — 589 last year, Lasher said. They execute search warrants and respond to threats against Social Security offices, employees and customers.

Agents carry .357 caliber pistols, Lasher said. The bullets, which add up to about 590 per agent, are for the upcoming fiscal year. Most will be expended on the firing range.

Some bloggers have taken issue with the type of ammunition the agency is buying, questioning why agents need hollow-point bullets. Hollow-points are known for causing more tissue damage than other bullets when they hit a person because they expand when they enter the body.

The bullets, however, are standard issue for many law enforcement agencies, Lasher said, a fact confirmed by the directors of two law enforcement training centers.

"For practice ammunition, they do not have to be hollow-points, but hollow-points are the normal police round used for duty ammunition due to their ability to stop when they hit an object as opposed to going through it and striking more objects," said William J. Muldoon, president of the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training.

"Six hundred rounds per year for training, qualification and I would assume to carry on duty is not out of line at all," said John W. Worden, director of the University of Missouri's Law Enforcement Training Institute. "Hollow points are carried by law enforcement all over the country and are probably the preferred type of ammo no matter what caliber."

The episode illustrates what can happen when a seemingly salacious tidbit gets amplified and embellished on the Internet.

A few weeks ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had a similar dustup when it solicited bids for 46,000 rounds of ammunition and shooting targets, seemingly to arm workers at the National Weather Service. It turns out the notice had a clerical error and the bullets were for NOAA's Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, the agency said.

Social Security's turn in the pillory hit a crescendo when Jay Leno joked about it in a recent monologue on "The Tonight Show." ''What senior citizens are they worried about?" Leno asked. "I mean, who's going to storm the building?"

Lasher said, "That's why we opened a blog post. We were getting a lot of inquiries and the blog gave us a vehicle to put all of the accurate information out there in one place, so that those who are interested or concerned can read what the real story is."
___
Online:
Social Security IG blog: Social Security's OIG Responds to Concerns over Ammunition Procurement | Office of the Inspector General, SSA

SantafeNewMexican.com with news from The Associated Press

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