DHS says it's out of rifle ammo

Some folks have been so busy frantically counting every ammunition solicitation out of the federal government, something appears to have been overlooked.

Last month's redacted ammo purchase order from the Department of Homeland Security reveals an admission by the agency that it has nearly depleted its stores of .223 rifle ammunition, and it is now scrambling to find enough to keep agents in the field equipped.

From: DHS ammunition purchase document

According to an order summary available through FedBizOps.gov, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Federal Protective  Services (FPS) have expended their stockpiles. And Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ammo had only three month supply of .223 duty ammo at the time the recent purchase was approved.

According to the DHS document, the agency's long term contracts to buy .223 ammunition have expired. And apparently there were no satisfactory bidders when the agency advertised for new supplier earlier this year.

By my personal estimate this stop-gap order would probably cover, at minimum, 6 million rounds of .223 duty ammunition. That's based on the types of .223 DHS previously advertised for, and uses retail prices for the same or comparable ammunition in the civilian market. If DHS gets any kind of bulk deal, or gets its ammo at wholesale, the number of rounds in this purchase could 8 to 10 million by my armchair calculations.

Could it be Big Sis and her agency have gorged themselves buying massive amounts of .40 caliber pistol ammo, but they've completely botched their efforts and obligations to secure an on-going even  minimal supply of rifle rounds?