A somewhat popular conservative conspiracy theory of late is that the Department of Homeland security is purchasing large amount of ammunition for the purpose of stockpiling in case of civil unrest. Sarah Palin, for example, has helped propagate this myth with a Facebook post stating it as fact. Despite the myth being debunked on Snopes more than seven months ago, it continues to get support throughout the conservative world.

In an August 2012 report by Snopes, the idea that federal organizations are buying ammunition for the purpose of suppressing civil unrest was completely and thoroughly disproven. In fact, all federal organizations that have armed personnel make large ammunition purchases, and it’s for the frightening use of… training their staff through target practice. And where did the myth originate? Well, the myth started on InfoWars.com. If you recognize that name, it’s because it’s the website that the psychotic pro-gun conservative Alex Jones hails from. He’s the one that appeared on Piers Morgan’s show after creating the online petition to deport him. As reported by Politico, while the feds are stockpiling ammunition, it isn’t for use on American citizens:

While government agencies are, in fact, purchasing large amounts of ammunition, they are doing so for training exercises and shooting ranges, according to federal officials. The Washington Post last month summed up the Department of Homeland Security’s buying of more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition for training with an article headlined, “Not so sinister: Homeland Security is stockpiling ammo for target practice.”





Conservatives who are trying to defend and support the ridiculous ideas being spread by Palin and others have taken to pointing out admissions by journalists that the purchases were made to prove the entire charge is true. Here’s an excerpt from Market Daily News:

Politico published an article following Palin’s Facebook post bizarrely claiming that her concerns about the federal government purchasing ammo in large quantities had been debunked despite admitting that “government agencies are, in fact, purchasing large amounts of ammunition.” This tactic of admitting that the government is purchasing a huge number of bullets while simultaneously portraying anyone concerned about the fact as erroneous and paranoid has been adopted by other mainstream media outlets like the Washington Post, who have blithely accepted and regurgitated the government’s explanation that the bullets are merely for target practice.

The “blithe acceptance and regurgitation” of the government explanation stems from the tendency of media outlets (with notable exceptions) to not buy into crazy right-wing conspiracy theories.

Some people have lent credence to the conspiracy theory by pointing out that the federal ammunition purchases were of hollowpoint bullets. That isn’t unusual at all; hollowpoints are standard issue for many government law enforcement organizations, and not just for the feds. Many local law enforcement departments use hollowpoints too. They’re better for target practice and have more man-stopping power if deadly force is required in the line of duty.

Palin’s post was a typical rant about Obama and his “reckless spending,” with the line about bullets apparently thrown in for comic effect. Speaking of the debt, she said, “We’re going to default eventually and that’s why the feds are stockpiling bullets in case of civil unrest.”

We probably shouldn’t trust her assessment of the situation, though, as she doesn’t even seem to be quite aware of the difference between “debt” and “deficit,” using them interchangeably in a way that doesn’t really make sense:

Remember that this sequestration deal came about because of the long debt ceiling standoff in the summer of 2011. It wasn’t the ideal outcome for anyone, but it did at least include real deficit reduction of about $110 billion per year for 10 years, which is still nowhere near enough to close our massive deficit. Keep in mind that since the sequester passed, the President has already hit American families and small business owners with his tax increases, or “more revenue” as he likes to call it. The American public doesn’t want tax increases; we want government to rein in its overspending.

The “deficit” is the yearly amount that the United States budget is in the red. The “debt” is how much we owe. The debt is the money; the deficit is how much we’re adding to it. What Palin doesn’t seem to understand is that at the highest level, the deficit was around 1.4 trillion dollars. It’s dropped significantly since then, and cuts of 110 billion dollars yearly will certainly make a dent in it.

With regard to her comments on taxation, look at it this way. The country is in financial trouble and, as citizens, we have to make some cuts in order to get control over our problem. The left wants those of us who are doing well to pay a bit more and use their greater prosperity to help solve it. The right, on the other hand, wants to cut social safety spending and they’re holding that hostage. Conservatives want to take benefits from the elderly and the poor while the rich get richer. As President Barack Obama once said, “That’s like Robin Hood in reverse!”