Originally posted by old_goat_23:
The 7.62 * 39 and AK magazines are used by our trainers and "special forces" groups to equip indigenous military groups. The AK variants are perfect for poorly trained third world armies (they were developed for illiterate peasant conscripts and are simple, reliable and about as accurate as a thrown rock). Not at all surprised at the DoD mag and ammo purchase. We will probably ship most of that stuff to Ashkanistan in order to equip the National Army and Police with stuff they can subsequently sell to the Taliban and Haqqani Network.
The other ammo purchases need to be considered in light of the following:
1. All federal agencies (including the military) are ditching lead based ammo and going with "green" bullets. This has initiated a big purchase of both newer, green ammo for training and evaluation (frangible versus hollow point ...... long discussion of lead core versus other bullets required on that one) and existing lead core ammo (which will be unavailable in the near future to federal agencies).
2. These contracts are designed to provide a "not to exceed" price for a "up to" quantity. For the most part, a contract with the FBI for a million rounds of .40 JHP would be good for several years. The FBI would then purchase ammo in manageable lots over the term of the contract. Not sure what NOAA, the National Weather Service and Postal Service need with guns and ammo but that's another topic.
3. The price of ammo has been a fairly steep cost curve over the last few years. Partially due to supply and demand, partially due to a decision (subsequently reversed but still a policy for many bases) by the DoD to stop selling used brass and instead destroy (deform via automated system) brass casings and sell the metal. Regardless, the Feds are arguably doing a good thing by locking in pricing for ammo purchases over several years.
Overall, the ammo purchases for military and LEO agencies aren't all that big a cause for concern. Giving Glocks and 870s to postal workers is extremely troubling as are the NOAA and NWS purchases. I do, however, like my chances in a shootout with the local weatherman so I won't lose sleep over that issue.
With regard to who gets to carry what, CCW licensing is a one time certification and requires limited training with regard to actually using a weapon. You can get a CCW after taking a basic gun safety course and exhibiting minimal competence with a firearm. Typically you will fire less than 50 rounds and there is no requirement in terms of accuracy. There are no re-certification or on-going training requirements other than paying a fee for a CCW license renewal.
Conversely LEOs have to re-qualify each year and have some training with the weapons that they use on an ongoing basis. They have strict guidelines for using "lethal force". They have a range of force options including baton, mace, taser, less than lethal shotgun ammo and, finally, lethal force. While I have no illusions regarding the average LEO's ability in a gun fight (you can look up the FBI statistics), they are better trained, more frequently trained and have more options than a typical CCW licensee.
Thanks and have a great day!
