Thread: Grassley: Homeland Security may be monopolizing ammo market

February 21, 2013
Steve Woodhouse Journal-Express

Knoxville — Following a meeting with a Knoxville High School government class Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Chuck Grassley was asked why the Department of Homeland Security has purchased a great deal of ammunition in recent weeks. Grassley admitted he didn't know why, but speculated that the department may be trying to monopolize the market.

Fox News reported Feb. 14 that Homeland Security intends to buy 1.6 billion rounds over the next five years. Of that, 750 million rounds will be used over the next five years for training by Homeland Security. The remainder will be used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Grassley speculated that the federal government's purchases may be intended to drive up the price of ammunition. USA Today reported four days ago that gun shops around the country have struggled to keep ammunition in stock. In some places, the price of bullets has surged.

During Grassley's post-meeting interview, he also addressed the issue of unmanned drones and transparency. Grassley believes that the public's work should be public, though exceptions should be made in cases of national security.

The discussion turned to President Obama's approval of using drones to kill American citizens, suspected to be terrorists. Grassley said he is trying to access to memos and other documentation regarding how the president feels he can justify this action. American citizens are innocent until proven guilty, have the right to face an accuser and to a trial by a jury of their peers.

Continuing on national security, Grassley believes that Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, former Sen. Chuck Hagel, will be confirmed. Grassley made this prediction, though Hagel will not get the Republican Senator from Iowa's support.

Grassley's counterpart in the Senate, Democrat Tom Harkin, said last week that America is still the richest country in the world and that it does not have a spending problem. However, the nation's debt stands, as of this writing, at $16.5 trillion, and out of a population of over 315 million people, there are 113 million federal income tax payers.

"We may be the richest nation, but it does not give us the right to be irresponsible," Grassley said. He said that there is a moral component when adding debt and passing these costs on to future generations.

America has always borrowed money with the belief that it will always be able to borrow more. This is when the debt was only a percentage of the country's gross domestic product. Today's debt is at 100 percent of GDP, and our credit rating has been downgraded. Grassley believes continued spending and borrowing will cause the nation to lose even more leverage.

The students who took part in Grassley's meeting discussed several topics, including the federal government's role in agriculture, health care, college tuition, the debt and more. Look for more on Grassley's meeting with the students in the Feb. 22 Journal-Express.

Grassley: Homeland Security may be monopolizing ammo market » Local News » Journal Express, Knoxville, IA

Egypt bought a lot of ammo recently.

Egypt's police to get 100,000 9mm pistols

February 16, 2013 RSS Feed Print

By AYA BATRAWY, Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian security official said Saturday that the interior ministry has agreed to purchase 100,000 new 9mm pistols after low-ranking policemen went on strike demanding greater firepower to defend themselves against increased lawlessness.


The announcement ended five days of strikes by thousands of low-ranking policemen that threatened to further unravel security in the Arab world's most populous nation, two years after the overthrow of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

It is also likely to provoke a new wave of criticism against the interior ministry by rights groups and activists who accuse police of using excessive force against unarmed protesters and carrying out the same brutal tactics of the former regime.

Allegations of torture at the hands of police persist, and around 70 people have been killed in nationwide protests in just the past three weeks. Rights groups allege that police are still operating with impunity.

The security official said the decision was made after studying the demands of policemen who complain they cannot properly defend themselves against attacks on security headquarters and police stations. Some protesters have also attacked police during demonstrations, severely wounding many in clashes.

Retired police colonel, Ihab Youssef, said that currently low-ranking policemen, referred to in Egypt as "afrad" and "omana", are allowed to have firearms with them on duty, but must return their weapons back to their superiors after work.

They are requesting to be able to carry the weapons at all times.

"This will cause a lot of problems because they are not well trained and do not know how to use this weapon," Youssef said. "In the worst case scenario, police will end up turning into thugs after working hours."

Some in the force are not only seething over what they say is inadequate fire power, but have openly protested serving under a president who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, a group who the police aggressively targeted for decades.

They say they are being forced to confront protesters angry with President Mohammed Morsi.

The decision to issue arms to low-ranking officers comes just weeks after black-clad riot police appeared for the first time in new, protective gear that reduces their vulnerability to rocks and firebombs and conceals much of their faces. In a first, the police also received three patrol helicopters.

Just hours before the decision was announced, around 50 policemen protested in the city of Aswan, demanding more weapons to fight a surge of crime that has swept across Egypt as police authority unraveled following Mubarak's ouster.

It was the latest in a string of incidents pointing to a breakdown of discipline in a force where the power and prestige of top security officials was rarely questioned by subordinates.

Policemen in Egypt also want better salaries and working conditions, and are frustrated that police can be tried in military courts.

Egypt's uprising, which began two years ago on a day meant to commemorate police, was largely rooted in widespread hatred of security forces under Mubarak. More than 100 have been put on trial for the killings of protesters, and all but two were acquitted.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the interior ministry on Saturday agreed to study raising pensions and will increase the number of housing, hospitals and medical clinics for policemen throughout Egypt.

Youssef, who is also a founder of a group calling for police reform, said the interior ministry has not taken any initiative to curb corruption and abuse by the force. This, he says, leads to continued mistrust between police and the public.

He said the new fire power will go to policemen who are not trained about the law or human rights.

The recent strikes and protests by low-ranking policemen refusing to work or take orders from their superiors has created resentment among high-level officers who, Youssef warns, could also end up refusing to work.

"The ministry needs to understand that the money paid to deliver these weapons to the police could have been used in better ways," he said. "So long as the interior minister tries to keep them quiet to keep the problem under control there will come a time when the situation implodes."

Hagag Salama contributed from Luxor, Egypt.

http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2013/02/16/egypts-police-to-get-100000-9mm-pistols