Buy View - DHS Ammunition Buy

Using a link provided by the source for a previous article ( "Why can't I find ammo in the store?"), I found myself accessing (perfectly legally) a purchase order  "FEDBID"  (offer to buy?) for "Training Ammo" from the Department of Homeland Security.

I say this is "training ammo" because of the line description,

... and because of the specified buyer:

Buyer : DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Center 

Here are the salient items:

Buy View:
Line Item(s) Item No Description Qty
 _________________________________________________________________
Unit 001 
 Commercial Leaded Training Ammo (CLTA)
Pistol Cartridge .40 caliber 165 Grain, jacketed Hollow point(Jhp)
p/n P40HSTS3G OR EQUAL. BRASS CASING
100,000 ROUNDS PRICE PER 1000 ROUNDS WILL INCLUDE DELIVERY.
 _________________________________________________________________
Unit 002
100 MX 002 Commercial Leaded Training Ammo (CLTA)
9MM 115 GRAIN JACKETED HOLLOW POINT P/N 9BP-115 GRAIN JHP OR EQUAL
BRASS CASING
100,000 ROUNDS PRICE PER 1000 ROUNDS WILL INCLUDE DELIVERY.
 _________________________________________________________________
Unit 003
100 MX 003 Commercial Leaded Training Ammo (CLTA) PISTOL CARTIDGE (sic) 9MM BALL 124 GRAIN P/N AE9AP OR EQUAL BRASS CASING 40,000 ROUNDS PRICE PER 1000 ROUNDS WILL INCLUDE DELIVEY (sic)
_________________________________________________________________

(Sorry for the awkward formatting ... I couldn't reliably post a screen-shot of the offer in legible size within the narrow format of this website.)


So .. the Department of Homeland Security is seeking to buy, in lots of (apparently .. I could be wrong) 100,000 rounds, the following:

1. .40 S&W ammo, 165 gr JHP
2. 9mm ammo, 115 gr JHP
3. 9mm ammo, 124 gr ball

Note that these requisites are specifically described as TRAINING AMMO.

Note also that they are buying 100,000 rounds each of the .40 S&W165 gr JHP and 9mm 115gr JHP, but only 40,000 rounds of the 9mm 124gr BALL.  And even that line-item seems to have been added almost casually.

Now, even a cranky old curmudgeon like me knows that JHP is more expensive than BALL ammunition.  Yet, the smallest order is for the cheaper BALL Training Ammo (40k rounds), and the other two line-items are for training ammo in JHP in 100k quantities.  Given the typo in the description of that line-item, it seems to have been added hurriedly and perhaps almost as an afterthought.  And item 003 specifies "Pistol Cartridge"; are items 001 and 002 not intended for use in pistols?  If not .. what?  An MP5?

("EVIL ASSAULT WEAPON ALERT!")


Who buys JHP for "training"?

And why do each of the two line-items specify quantities 2-1/2 times the amount of BALL ammo?

I'm thinking, the BALL ammo is legitimately for training, and will be expended in that matter.

But the hollow-point ... which, by the way, is  NOT forbidden in War by the Geneva Convention (of 1949:  is referenced in Article 23 of the Hague Convention:

Article 23

Besides the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially prohibited:--

• To employ poison or poisoned arms;

• To kill or wound treacherously individuals belonging to the hostile nation or army;

• To kill or wound an enemy who, having laid down arms, or having no longer means of defence, has surrendered at discretion;

• To declare that no quarter will be given;

• To employ arms, projectiles, or material of a nature to cause superfluous injury;

• To make improper use of a flag of truce, the national flag, or military ensigns and the enemy's uniform, as well as the distinctive badges of the Geneva Convention;

• To destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war

 These conventions are typically understood to be legal 'rules of war' by all civilized.

 In fact, this is the document which requires enemy soldiers to  be identifiable as soldiers, to fight under a flag and at the behest of a recognized legal authority (a nation), and to carry arms openly.  This is why the United States treats terrorists as .. well, not soldiers and therefore not eligible for honorable treatment as a soldier.

Article 1
The laws, rights, and duties of war apply not only to armies, but also to militia and volunteer corps, fulfilling the following conditions:
To be commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;
To have a fixed distinctive emblem recognizable at a distance;
To carry arms openly; and
To conduct their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.
In countries where militia or volunteer corps constitute the army, or form part of it, they are included under the denomination "army."

 (Sorry ... that's another digression, isn't it?)

The question remains, that if the United Stated policy is to abide by the Hague Convention, why are they purchasing huge quantities of Hollow Point Bullets?  DHS has said that they are buying huge lots of ammunition to save money, but buying the more expensive bullet (for "training") would not be expected to save money; rather, it is  a conspicuous extra expense.  There is no advantage in either cost-effective training, reliability of function, or accuracy when using JHP rather than BALL ammo for "training".

However, JHP bullets are much more effective than BALL ammo for combat.  They provide a greatly enlarged wound cavity, and therefore tend to cause more serious injuries.

Who is DHS going to shoot with hollow-point bullets?  Paper targets?  They make the same size hole.
Why do they need five times as much more JHP ammunition than BALL ammunition for "Training"?

Just asking .....