James Smith, Contributor

Activist Post
Recent articles have been published, by this network and others, that detail the extraordinarily large purchases of ammunition by the United States Government. This ammunition has been of varying calibers, mainly .357 Sig and .40 S&W. However, they all have been what are known as “Hollow Point” rounds.

From Wikipedia:

A hollow-point bullet is an expanding bullet that has a pit or hollowed out shape in its tip, often intended to cause the bullet to expand upon entering a target in order to decrease penetration and disrupt more tissue as it travels through the target. It is also used for controlled penetration, where over-penetration could cause collateral damage (such as on an aircraft). In target shooting, they are used for greater accuracy and reduction of smoke, fouling, and lead vapour exposure, as hollow point bullets have an enclosed base while traditional bullets have an exposed lead base. In essence, the hollow point bullet has several purposes: hollow points are designed to increase in diameter once within the target, thus maximizing tissue damage and blood loss or shock, and to remain inside the target, thereby transferring all of its kinetic energy to that target (some fraction would remain in the bullet if it passed through instead). Jacketed hollow points (JHPs) or plated hollow points are covered in a coating of harder metal (usually a copper alloy or copper coated steel) to increase bullet strength and to prevent fouling the barrel with lead stripped from the bullet. The term hollow-cavity bullet is used to describe a hollow point where the hollow is unusually large, sometimes dominating the volume of the bullet, and causes extreme expansion or fragmentation on impact.[1]

Many articles state that the hollow point round is banned in combat due to its brutal devastation it causes upon the human body. However, in reality, this is not the case.

Most people will wrongly state that their use is outlawed in the Geneva Convention. The ammunition’s forerunner was banned in 1899, and a portion of that ban is shown here:

Declaration on the Use of Bullets Which Expand or Flatten Easily in the Human Body” adopted at the First Hague Peace Conference of (29 July) 1899 which states:

The Undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Powers represented at the International Peace Conference at The Hague, duly authorized to that effect by their Governments,

Inspired by the sentiments which found expression in the Declaration of St. Petersburg of the 29th November (11th December), 1868,

Declare as follows:

The Contracting Parties agree to abstain from the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard envelope which does not entirely cover the core, or is pierced with incisions.

The present Declaration is only binding for the Contracting Powers in the case of a war between two or more of them.

It shall cease to be binding from the time when, in a war between the Contracting Parties, one of the belligerents is joined by a non-Contracting Power.

The United States only conceded to this, but did not sign. Where the U.S. did commit to was the Hague Convention IV of 1907, Article 23(e) of which Annex states:

…it is especially forbidden -

To employ arms, projectiles, or material{sic} calculated to cause unnecessary suffering;

The US’s observation of the Convention meant that ammunition used by troops would be solid ball ammunition. However, in 1985 the rules of combat changed with an opinion written by Judge Advocate General, written by Col W. Hays Parks, Chief of the JAG’s International Law Branch, for the signature of Major General Hugh R. Overholt, which stated:

…expanding point ammunition is legally permissible in counterterrorist operations not involving the engagement of the armed forces of another State.

In October of 1990, Col. Parks, at the at the request of the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and coordinated with the Department of State, Army General Counsel, as well as the Offices of the Judge Advocates General of the Navy and Air Force wrote a Memorandum that concluded:

The purpose of the 7.62mm ‘open-tip’ MatchKing bullet is to provide maximum accuracy at very long range. … Bullet fragmentation is not a design characteristic, however, nor a purpose for use of the MatchKing by United States Army snipers. Wounds caused by MatchKing ammunition are similar to those caused by a fully jacketed military ball bullet, which is legal under the law of war, when compared at the same ranges and under the same conditions. (The Sierra #2200 BTHP) not only meets, but exceeds, the law of war obligations of the United States for use in combat.

And again in 1993, an opinion by Col Parks allowed the U.S. Special Operations Command to use a Winchester 230-grain JHP for issue with its H&K-manufactured Mk 23 Mod 0 pistol.

And the military is not alone with the use of hollow point rounds. Many police agencies use them as well and have gone toe-to-toe with civil liberty organizations. From the NY Times in 1997:

Studies on the issue are inconclusive. But civil libertarians have criticized the hollow point bullets, saying they are more deadly and increase the ability of police officers to maim and kill a suspect. ‘’The introduction of the hollow-point may very well exceed the bounds of reason and necessity, especially if massive internal injury is the risk,’ said Norman Siegel, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Legal challenges in Los Angeles and elsewhere, however, have proved fruitless, since most big-city departments began adopting the ammunition in the 1970s and 1980s.

The city of Seattle also uses the hollow point rounds.

Civilian law enforcement and military use of such ammunition should not be of concern. What concerns people these days are the purchases by innocuous government agencies such as the Social Security Administration and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. While they may be going to strictly the investigative arms of these agencies, what needs to be looked at is the bottom line: Money.

A good rule of thumb in all things commercial is: The fancier, the pricier. And ammunition is not alone in this. Below is a chart from a meta search engine, Ammo Engine. The search parameters were simple and selected from the results were only ammunition sold by the Federal Cartridge Company, a frequent awardee of ammunition in contracts put out by the Department of Homeland Security and the rounds selected were the .40 S&W that the DHS has purchased hundreds of millions.

As you can see in the chart, the Jacket Hollow Point (JHP) is as much as five times more expensive that the standard Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) round.

But the price isn’t because the JHP is a “more powerful” round. Below is a comparison of the Federal .357 Sig JHP versus the FMJ.

Federal Ammunition Ballistics:

Round     Type  Weight  Muzzle  Energy FPS
.357 Sig   JHP     125       506         1350
.357 Sig   FMJ    125       506         1350

Below is a video of the comparison between .40 S&W JHP and FMJ when it hits the human body, using ballistics gelatin which is used as a human flesh analog.

DHS Classifies New Ammo Purchases Following Controversy

Federal agency blacks out amount of bullets being bought

By Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Department of Homeland Security has redacted information relating to the quantity of bullets it is buying following a controversy concerning the agency’s purchase of over a billion rounds of ammo, which many fear is a sign the federal government is preparing for civil unrest in the United States.

Despite the fact that documents are only supposed to be redacted if authorized by Congress or for national security reasons, a solicitation posted on the FedBizOpps website yesterday concerning ammunition purchases made by the DHS on behalf of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) contains numerous blacked out sections.

The classified portions of the document include references to the amount of 223 62 and 223 64 grain ammunition being purchased.

The solicitation explains how the contract put out by the DHS to purchase the ammunition was not subject to “full and open competition,” a process justified by what the DHS claims was an “unusual and compelling urgency” to acquire the bullets, noting that there is a shortage of bullets which is threatening a situation which could cause “substantial safety issues for the government” should law enforcement officials not be adequately armed.

The Department of Homeland Security’s decision to black out sections of the document, including the number of bullets being purchased, is likely to be related to a massive controversy which has snowballed over the last few weeks pertaining to concerns as to why the federal agency has purchased well over a billion rounds of bullets over the last 6 months alone.

The DHS’ decision back in March to purchase of 450 million rounds of .40-caliber hollow point bullets that are designed to expand upon entry and cause maximum organ damage prompted questions as to why the federal agency required such powerful bullets and in such large quantities merely for training purposes.

This was followed up by a more recent order for a further 750 million rounds of assorted ammunition, including bullets that can penetrate walls.

Given the fact that the DHS is also acquiring riot gear in preparation for civil unrest which could take place at the upcoming DNC, RNC and presidential inauguration, the purchase of ammunition in such massive numbers has stoked fears that the federal government could be preparing to use force against the American people.

This screenshot illustrates how the DHS has blacked out information pertaining to the amount of bullets being purchased.

The trigger for this could be an economic collapse that causes angry Americans to flood the streets similar to scenes witnessed across Europe over the last two years.

As Mike Adams writes:

“The U.S. government clearly sees the writing on the wall. What lays ahead for America is a day of unbearable reckoning. The financial collapse will wipe out savings accounts, pensions, investment funds and equities of the working class, all across the nation.

Imagine bank accounts being reset to zero, “bank holidays” enforced at gunpoint. That will unleash a wave of violent protests, social chaos and even talk of revolution. The government will almost certainly respond with a declaration of Martial Law, the rolling out of highway checkpoints, and before long, the use of live ammo on unruly protesters.”

The Social Security Administration has also recently purchased a large quantity of hollow point bullets, potentially signaling that authorities fear welfare riots could occur if benefit payments cannot be made. The NOAA also recently purchased 46,000 rounds of hollow point ammunition.

The DHS’ decision to censor information related to bullet purchases for immigration authorities could also be an attempt to assuage concerns that the agency is expecting to have to resort to force to deal with a mass influx of immigrants from Mexico.

Back in December, Department of Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano directed ICE to prepare for a substantial inundation of immigrants into the United States, calling for the plan to deal with the “shelter” and “processing” of large numbers of people.

During the Iran-Contra hearings in 1987, it was revealed that the federal government had established a contingency program under the pretext of a mass influx of immigrants called Rex 84.

The program was a secretive “scenario and drill” developed by the federal government to suspend the Constitution, declare martial law, assign military commanders to take over state and local governments, and detain large numbers of American citizens determined by the government to be “national security threats.”

*********************

Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News.

Mike Adams
Natural News
August 15, 2012

At the same time politicians in Washington are openly talking about banning online ammo sales to American citizens, the government itself is arming to the teeth.

And not in a military sense, either: The Department of Homeland Security is stockpiling insane quantities of anti-personnel “hollow-point” ammo of all calibers, including #00 tactical shotgun ammo, anti-personnel pistol rounds and match-grade .308 sniper rounds. As the DHS fights no foreign wars and only has jurisdiction in the United States, the only purpose of this ammo can be for use against the American people.

The most recent DHS solicitation contract is seeking massive quantities of anti-personnel ammunition for the “DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRNG CTR.” The PDF document showing this is available at:
https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=500096e56b0d8362d91e93cf105309c3

We have made a backup copy on NaturalNews at:
http://www.naturalnews.com/files/DHS_ammo_buy.pdf

There’s good coverage of this story, by the way, at:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/dhs-to-purchase-another-750-million-round…

As you can see for yourself, this DHS contract requests huge quantities of all the following ammunition (and much more):

• Over one million rounds of hollow-point .223 rifle ammo
• Over half a million rounds of non-hollow-point .223 rifle ammo
• 220,000 rounds of 12 gauge shotgun #7 ammo (target ammo)
• Over 200,000 rounds of 12 gauge shotgun #00 buckshot ammo (tactical anti-personnel ammo)
• 66,000 rounds of 12 gauge shotgun slugs (tactical anti-personnel, anti-vehicle rounds)
• Over two million rounds of hollow-point .357 Sig JPH (hollow-point) pistol ammo (anti-personnel)
• Over four million rounds of .40 S&W JPH (hollow-point) pistol ammo (anti-personnel)
• Over 60,000 rounds of .308 match grade anti-personnel sniper rounds (BTHP)
• Plus, hundreds of thousands of additional rounds of .38 special, .45 auto, 9mm, 7.62×39 (AK rifle) ammo, and others.

This is on top of the massive 450 million .40 S&W hollow point rounds the DHS has already requisitioned (http://www.naturalnews.com/035649_DHS_ammunition_domestic_war.html).

The only rational conclusion: DHS is training a domestic army for war with the American people

There is only one rational conclusion to all this: The Department of Homeland Security is training a domestic army — an army of pedophiles, perverts, child porn distributors and drug dealers — to wage a shooting war with the American people.

I have warned about the rise of the Nazi-like power of the DHS (http://www.naturalnews.com/035607_government_checkpoints_Martial_Law….), and now we’re seeing the result of a runaway power grab that will, before very long, be used to engage in mass shootings of American protestors.

What protestors, you ask? The protestors who will take to the streets immediately following the collapse of the global banking fraud, of course. And if that’s new information to you, you need to get ahead of the curve on real-time history in the making. The global banking cartel is based on a pyramid of total financial fraud, and it’s going to come crashing down within the next 24 months, according to some estimates (see Keiser, below). Imagine Chase, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs all bankrupt, their stock worth zero. Suffocated under endless trillions of fraudulent derivatives. That’s what’s coming, it seems, and if you want the hard-hitting analysis of this situation, listen to this recent interview between Max Keiser and Alex Jones entitled, “We’re in A Financial Holocaust”
http://www.prisonplanet.com/max-keiser-were-in-a-financial-holocaust….

Ron Paul warns about all this in his own video released on May 10, 2012, which describes the coming financial collapse and martial law:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVKcB_PSdb8

I also highly recommend this interview between James Wesley Rawles and Alex Jones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STfEPWB6MJs

The U.S. government clearly sees the writing on the wall. What lays ahead for America is a day of unbearable reckoning. The financial collapse will wipe out savings accounts, pensions, investment funds and equities of the working class, all across the nation. Imagine bank accounts being reset to zero, “bank holidays” enforced at gunpoint. That will unleash a wave of violent protests, social chaos and even talk of revolution. The government will almost certainly respond with a declaration of Martial Law, the rolling out of highway checkpoints, and before long, the use of live ammo on unruly protesters.

What is about to unfold in America will make the Kent State incident of 1970 look like a peace rally. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings)

As the government stockpiles ammo, so do the citizens

What’s happening behind the scenes in America right now is a massive armament build-up of epic proportions. The government itself is arming to the teeth, but at the same time, sales of guns and ammo to private citizens have smashed through all historical records. Ammunition prices are rising steadily and rifles, handguns and shotguns are out of stock everywhere. Gun manufacturers are running double and triple shifts in their own factories, trying to keep up with demand, and some have simply cancelled all new orders for the next few months until they get caught up.

I’ve even noticed myself getting caught up in the rush. Every time there’s another shooting in the USA, people like Obama, Bloomberg and Schumer call for gun restrictions, and I find myself immediately buying another firearm. Why? Because people want what they perceive will soon be unavailable. It’s basic human psychology. That’s why many gun shops in the USA credit Obama as being “salesperson of the year.” Nobody has caused more guns to be sold to more U.S. citizens than President Obama. His power to cause citizens to arm themselves at breakneck speed is legendary. Every time he opens his mouth, it seems, citizens flood the gun shops with cash at the ready.

The result of all this is a massive nationwide escalation of firepower, and the potential for serious conflict on the issue of liberty versus government power. The government, of course, wants to control everything and turn citizens into obedient minions. Many citizens have a problem with that, and they demand a restoration of Constitutional liberties (which have been stripped away by nearly everyone in Washington, including Bush, Obama and yes, even the new VP candidate Paul Ryan, who voted for the NDAA). (http://www.naturalnews.com/034537_NDAA_Bill_of_Rights_Obama.html)

At this point, my personal belief is that we’re sadly already past the point of no return. I see the very high possibility of the U.S. government engaging in a shooting war with the U.S. population within the next 24 months. Obviously, my wish is that no such acts of violence take place, but history has shown that when the population wakes up and realizes how royally they’ve all been ripped off, deceived and enslaved, it results in a spontaneous outburst of rage against the system. History has shown this is the stuff of revolutions, and revolutions are rarely peaceful.

My advice to NaturalNews readers? As I’ve said for years, don’t join in angry protests because from here forward, they are likely to be very, very violent. We are going to see literal blood in the streets, and I don’t want you anywhere near that.

Hunker down at your home, farm or apartment. Defend yourself, support the effort to keep the peace in your local community, and at every opportunity work to de-escalate violence and seek the restoration of liberty through peaceful means. Fight with words, not guns, wherever possible.

If you want even more details about what I see coming, listen to this Coast to Coast AM show from last Saturday night, where I was recently interviewed by John B Wells.
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=05EF8B0E9AABA7656D409D84B48E7D69

Or just click PLAY here:

Obama Administration Refuses To Tell Judge If NDAA is Being Illegally Enforced

Lew Rockwell: Gov’t is Far Worse Than The Mafia

Infowars.com

Alex talks with political commentator, activist, proponent of the Austrian School of economics, and chairman and CEO of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Lew Rockwell. Rockwell served as Ron Paul’s congressional chief of staff from 1978 to 1982. He hosts a popular website and is the author of Speaking of Liberty and The Left, The Right, and The State.

Social Security Administration To Purchase 174 Thousand Rounds Of Hollow Point Bullets

Preparing for civil unrest? Ammunition to be delivered to 41 locations across U.S.

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com

UPDATE: DHS Now Covering Up Ammo Purchases?

First it was the Department of Homeland Security, then it was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and now the Social Security Administration is set to purchase 174,000 rounds of hollow point bullets that will be delivered to 41 locations across the country.

A solicitation posted by the SSA on the FedBizOpps website asks for contractors to supply 174,000 rounds of “.357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacketed hollow point pistol ammunition.”

An online ammunition retailer describes the bullets as suitable “for peak performance rivaling and sometimes surpassing handloads in many guns,” noting that the ammo is “a great personal defense bullet.”

The synopsis to the solicitation adds that the ammunition is to be shipped to 41 locations within 60 days of purchase. A separate spreadsheet lists those locations, which include the Social Security headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland as well as major cities across the country including Los Angeles, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Seattle.

Hollow point bullets are designed to expand as they enter the body, causing maximum damage by tearing apart internal organs.

It’s not outlandish to suggest that the Social Security Administration is purchasing the bullets as part of preparations for civil unrest. Social security welfare is estimated to keep around 40 per cent of senior citizens out of poverty. Should the tap run dry in the aftermath of an economic collapse which the Federal Reserve has already told top banks to prepare for, domestic disorder could ensue if people are refused their benefits.

Indeed, earlier this year the Department of Homeland Security ran a drill called Operation Shield which included turning the entrance of a Florida Social Security office into a checkpoint manned by Federal Protective Service officers armed with semiautomatic rifles.

“With their blue and white SUVs circled around the Main Street office, at least one official was posted on the door with a semiautomatic rifle, randomly checking identifications. And other officers, some with K-9s, sifted through the building,” reported the Daily Commercial.

A rash of solicitations by federal agencies for hollow point bullets in recent months has stoked fears that the government is preparing for civil unrest caused by a financial collapse on a scale similar or even larger to scenes already witnessed in Europe over the last two years.

As we reported yesterday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has put out a contract for 46,000 rounds of hollow point bullets along with 500 paper targets.

Despite initially asking the bullets to be delivered to the National Weather Service, NOAA claimed this was a “clerical error” and insisted the ammunition was being sent to the Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement. Why powerful hollow point bullets that are designed to tear apart internal organs are needed for practice shooting at paper targets has not been explained.

Back in March, Homeland Security purchased 450 million rounds of .40-caliber hollow point bullets that are designed to expand upon entry and cause maximum organ damage, prompting questions as to why the DHS needed such a large amount of powerful bullets merely for training purposes.

This was followed by another DHS solicitation asking for a further 750 million rounds of assorted bullets, including 357 mag rounds that are able to penetrate walls.

The DHS recently put out an order for riot gear in preparation for the upcoming DNC, RNC and presidential inauguration. The U.S. Army is also busy buying similar equipment.

The DHS also recently purchased a number of bullet-proof checkpoint booths that include ‘stop and go’ lights.