Homeland Security Ammunition Purchases. During consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 2217), Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) offered an amendment specifying that \”none of the funds made available by this Act may be used for entering into a new contract for the purposes of purchasing ammunition\” until the Department of Homeland Security submits a report to Congress about its purchase and use of ammunition. Meadows explained on the floor of the House that a recent large ammunition purchase by DHS was a cause for concern. \”Earlier this year, it was reported that DHS solicited bids for some 1.1 billion rounds of ammunition,\” he noted. \”This was more than 10 times the amount that the Department purchased in fiscal year 2012.\” Meadows added that the current inventory of ammunition for the 62,618 DHS employees certified in firearms amounts to nearly 4,000 rounds per person.
The House adopted Meadows\’ amendment on June 5, 2013 by a vote of 234 to 192 (Roll Call 204). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the size of DHS ammunition purchases is alarming – particularly considering that under our constitutional system domestic law enforcement is a local and state responsibility.
