DHS Agencies To Buy Up To 7,000 New 5.56x45mm NATO ‘Personal Defense Weapons’
The behemoth Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking up to 7,000 select fire (meaning that they are capable of both semi-automatic and automatic fire) 5.56x45mm North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) personal defense weapons (PDWs) on top of the hundreds of millions of hollow point rounds they recently acquired.
Unfortunately, the reason for both of these major purchases and the continuing heavy armament of DHS agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to go unexplained.
The newest weapons order – which was originally posted on June 7, 2012 and has a response date of July 9, 2012 – is for so-called personal defense weapons which would be used in close quarters combat situations when maximum concealment is required.
I find that last part quite interesting, as requiring maximum concealment for a 5.56x45mm NATO weapon is not really a run-of-the-mill request.
Harold
Currently the Internet is proliferated with comments and articles that express fear Homeland Security might use its recent acquired weaponry against Americans. Should that happen, expected Homeland Security would prior or concurrently shutdown ammunition sales to the public. Most American gun owners have little or no ammunition.
A few years ago you may recall the Obama Administration proposed legislation that would force Americans to register their ammunition at the location of purchase. That would have opened the door for police and ATF to raid Citizens’ homes alleged to possess unregistered ammunition.
In 1994 the Justice Dept proposed gun legislation that included the words “premises containing illegal weapons” written like drug laws. Gun owners immediately expressed concern the words “premises containing illegal weapons” opened the door for DOJ/local police to civilly forfeit gun owners’ homes (the premises) charged (containing) illegal guns. Had that legislation passed millions of Americans would have been afraid to keep guns in their home.
In 1994, a Congressman suggested forcing gun stores to sell “biodegradable ammunition” with a 1-year shelf life—stating, in case of insurrection, ammunition accumulated by Americans would be useless within 1-year. Then someone pointed out, if government forced biodegradable ammunition on the public that would open the door for black-market ammunition to be sold in the U.S.