Obama too mum on ammo purchases

opinion@dailylobo.com

Transparency is one of the most important things sought from the government, especially at the federal level. One of Barack Obama’s election promises was to increase government transparency and keep the American people more aware of what the government does. However, heading into the election, Obama has wasted a major opportunity to deliver on that promise.

Recently, various government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have been listing purchase orders for large amounts of ammunition. In August, 174,000 rounds were requested by the SSA, 46,000 rounds were requested by NOAA and 450 million rounds of hollow-point ammunition to be provided over five years were requested by the DHS.

Well, these are government agencies that each have their own law enforcement arms. And each of those enforcement arms needs rounds for its officers to train with and to shoot the bad guys with. So why are these ammunition purchases a matter of concern?

First, some information about the bullets. Hollow-point rounds flatten and fragment upon impact, so they do not penetrate the target. For this reason, they are used by law enforcement in situations in which collateral damage is unacceptable, such as on crowded streets or on airplanes in flight. However, these rounds are one of the most deadly types out there, because the flattening and fragmentation causes massive internal damage that usually results in death for people hit by these bullets. They also are one of the most expensive ammunition types. Even so, the purchase of the ammunition may easily be dismissed as part of the routine and necessary operations of keeping our government law enforcement arms functioning in order to keep Americans safe. Indeed, there are many ways to rationalize these purchases, ranging from the reasonable to the paranoid.

But that’s just the point. All we have is many explanations and theories as to why the government is stocking up on hollow-point ammunition. Given the scale of these purchase orders, it’s very easy to conclude that the government is preparing for massive civil unrest, or to use these rounds against Americans. But it’s just as easy to conclude that the government is simply making bad fiscal decisions and is overspending by buying too many expensive rounds that will most likely only see use in target practice.

While those in the SSA and NOAA have issued statements saying these rounds are standard for target practice and normal operations — while saying little else — they have not said whether such large purchases are the norm. In addition, the DHS has outright redacted large sections of its ammunition purchase orders with no explanation, and offered no insight into the reasons behind the size of its purchases.

This is a perfect example of how Obama’s commitment to transparency could be put to good use. A public statement would go far in putting the fears and unease of the American public to rest regarding civilian agencies possessing such massive firepower. Not issuing informative statements or clarifications only encourages speculation, which has generated theories ranging from one that proposes these purchases are a disinformation campaign to ferret out anti-government dissidents in preparation for a martial law crackdown, to the DHS preparing to defend American citizens from an imminent terrorist threat courtesy of sleeper agents within the United States, to an attempt by the executive branch to usurp power by creating a paramilitary force that is loyal to the current administration, as a counterbalance to the Constitution-loyal military.

I want to be clear that I’m not advocating any of these theories, and in the end, it may all just be a case of poor communication causing needless suspicion and alarm. What I am advocating is that Obama, either directly or through White House press secretary Jay Carney, needs to head off the dangerous speculation. Otherwise, the situation has the potential to escalate into a major problem that could put Americans at risk, through civil unrest stemming from the current record number of gun sales combined with the growing number of circulating rumors and theories, and the lack of facts to counter them.