by Jack
Question: What nation in modern times did not even have the ability to even make it’s own bullets? Hint, it’s postal service recently purchased millions of rounds military ammunition. No, that wasn’t a typo, I said it’s [postal] service. Make’s you wonder what kind of a crazy country this must be, eh?
Answer (part 1): An ad in a national publication recently said, “The (blank) Postal Service intends to solicit proposals for assorted small arms ammunition.If your organization wishes to participate, you must pre-register at (blank) From the login page, click on the “Register Supplier Organization” hyperlink and provide all required information. Organizations are encouraged to have each participating representative registered individually. When registering, include 332992 as one of your NAICS selections.”
Presumably this ammo purchase will be for the use of the 1600 Postal Agents which are armed with Italian origin 9 mm pistols.
Full Answer: “St. Louis-based Doe Run Co., the world’s third-largest producer of lead from mines, said it will stop smelting operations as part of a $65 million agreement with the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Missouri. The company has operated the facility since 1986.
Doe Run said the estimated $100 million cost to build a new facility and meet air-quality standards was too risky.
“We saw no alternative to closing our plant,” Gary Hughes, general manager of Doe Run’s Metals Division, said in a Dec. 14 statement.
The smelter’s announced closing provoked a furor on some conservative Web publications. Newsmax.com reported Dec. 11 that “EPA Rules Force Closure of Last Ammo Maker.” Thetrumpet.com lamented on Nov. 14 that the U.S. “may become dependent on foreign nations for its small-arms ammunition supply chain.”
“It may seem odd for the USPS to be in the business of buying ammunition, but actually it has had armed officers for centuries. Chances are, this buy is for the US Postal Inspection Service. The USPIS employs about 1,600 special agents who investigate mail fraud and related crimes. Some of these investigating agents pack firearms, usually a Beretta semi-auto 9 mm pistol.
The USPIS is not new nor is its having armed agents new. The inspection service has been around since the days of Ben Franklin, who created the post of “surveyor” when he was postmaster general. Surveyor eventually evolved into the present-day special agent, which is a detective or investigator. Think of them as similar to arson investigators, who typically work for a fire department but carry firearms, investigate crimes, and have some police powers. USPS has periodically purchased guns and ammunition for longer than the United States has been a country.”
http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2014/02/06/why-is-the-u-s-postal-service-buying-ammunition/
Chris…and did you know the last time a Postal Service Agent was wounded in the line of duty was in 1798 when his musket discharged by accident and creased his earlobe?
I did not. Interesting.
Since the publication of this article, the USPS has amended its pre-solicitation, claiming that the ammunition is a “standard purchase” for the Postal Police. This does not explain, however, why the Postal Police was not listed in the original notice if this is standard. As the federal government grows larger, more and more federal agencies such as the Dept. of Education and NOAA are forming and arming their own “law enforcement divisions” with hundreds of thousands spent on full-blown arsenals. Expect to see more large-scale firearm and ammunition purchases by these bureaucracies as they become even more militarized.
I was more interested in this from Jack’s article:
This site lists a few other companies. How long till they come under EPA scrutiny?
How many businesses will these radicals put out of business?