4 Million Rounds Of Ammunition A Year For An Agency That Won’t Enforce Immigration Law

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a pre-solicitation for over 2 million rounds per year of 12 gauge 2-3/4” 1 ounce Foster rifled slug (reduced recoil) shotgun rounds, as well as 2 million of  the standard recoil.

DHS intends to use the ammunition for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agencies spread throughout the US, Hawaii, Alaska, and territories.

A Foster slug, invented by Karl Foster (or Forster) in 1931, is a shotgun slug designed to be fired through a smooth bore shotgun barrel. Foster invented the slug for deer hunting during the Great Depression using smooth bore, choked shotguns. At first they were hand casted, and sold to his neighbors to feed their families. The Foster is the standard American shotgun slug; they are sometimes referred to as “American slugs”.

However, the slug is designed to increase a shooter’s accuracy out to 75 to 100 yards, depending on the type of barrel (smooth or rifled).

This all follows recent ammunition and weapons purchases by both agencies earlier this month.  ICE already has a solicitation for over a half million dollars in 12 gauge 00 reduced recoil ammunition, and CBP requested the purchase of 287 Remington 870 shotguns, presumably to train using this new ammunition that is being requested.

If taken as a whole, this solicitation will cost the American Tax Payer an estimated $3.4 million dollars a year until the end of the contract ($17.2 million), which typically runs for 5 years. This assumption is based on the cheapest 12 gauge 2-3/4” 1 ounce slug at Luckygunner.com.

Regardless of the cost, regardless of the amount, the concerning point is the incessant purchasing of ammunition during a time of massive unemployment, massive debt, and massive ineptitude by the Washington leadership.

It’s time to contact your Congressman and politely ask them to step in and tell the DHS and other agencies to stop. Stop wasting our money, stop scaring the public and stop lying about the reasons for the excessive purchases.