By AWR Hawkins
Washington DC – -(Ammoland.com)- On October 9 2014, TIME magazine’s Joe Klein suggested Breitbart News’ reports on federal agency ammunition and weapon purchases were simply one of so many “conspiracy theories” confusing voters in the current election cycle.
In the column, “A Troubled American Moment,” Klein highlights a question asked at a townhall meeting “about the federal government buying tons of ammunition for the post office in order to raise the price of ammo for gun owners” as being an example of a conspiracy theory that makes it harder for voters to know “what is real.” Klein claims the source of the story “may have been the right-wing Breitbart website, I later learned, which has been tracking ammo sales to federal agencies,” but in the very next sentence he admits “Breitbart didn’t mention the price-raising strategy” that the question was referencing.
Here is what Breitbart News has reported on ammunition and weapons purchases:
- On April 15 we reported: “US Postal Service Joins DHS, Social Security Administration, NOAA in Ammo Purchases.” In the report we included a link to the actual United States Postal Service (USPS) solicitation for “assorted small arms ammunition.” That USPS solicitation can be viewed HERE. The report also referenced a Business Insider column linked to an August 9, 2012 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ammunition order that has since been canceled. The NOAA solicitation can be viewed HERE. The Social Security Administration (SSA) was mentioned in the Breitbart News title because of that administration’s August 7, 2012, solicitation for ammunition. The SSA solicitation can be viewed HERE.
- On May 15 we reported: “Department of Agriculture Orders Submachine Guns With 30-Round Magazines.” In the report we included a link to the actual USDA solicitation for “the commercial acquisition of submachine guns in .40 Cal. S & W.” The solicitation was for guns capable of going from semi-automatic fire to fully automatic fire with the flip of a switch and also for “30-rd. capacity” magazines for the weapons. The USDA solicitation can be viewed HERE.
There are many other government-related ammunition and weapons purchases that we did not cover. For example, on March 11, 2010, the US Department of Education placed an order for “27 Remington Model 870 Police shotguns.” The solicitation for the shotguns can be viewed HERE. And on August 22, 2010, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed an order for Sig Sauer P229 semi-automatic handguns in .357 SIG caliber. The EPA solicitation for the semi-automatic handguns can be viewed HERE.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
About:
AWR Hawkins writes for all the BIG sites, for Pajamas Media, for RedCounty.com, for Townhall.com and now AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.
His southern drawl is frequently heard discussing his take on current events on radio shows like America’s Morning News, the G. Gordon Liddy Show, the Ken Pittman Show, and the NRA’s Cam & Company, among others. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal (summer 2010), and he holds a PhD in military history from Texas Tech University.
If you have questions or comments, email him at awr@awrhawkins.com. You can find him on facebook at www.facebook.com/awr.hawkins.