ELLSWORTH, Maine — The National Weather Service is not looking to stockpile hollow-point ammunition and targets, officials said Wednesday afternoon after bloggers and media outlets across the nation reported the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was looking to purchase 46,000 rounds of ammunition.
Under the federal solicitation listing those Web outlets saw, 8,000 .40-caliber Smith & Wesson jacketed hollow-point bullets were supposed to go to a National Weather Service office in Ellsworth — which doesn’t exist. However, there is a NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement in Ellsworth, with officers who need ammunition for firearms qualifications tests and training. That office was the intended recipient of the shipment of bullets, according to NOAA.
NOAA attributes the mistake to “a clerical error in the federal business vendor process,” which meant the solicitor for the ammunition was incorrectly listed as the National Weather Service rather than NOAA’s law enforcement division, according to Lesli Bales-Sherrod, spokeswoman for NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement.
The error was being corrected Wednesday afternoon, Bales-Sherrod said.
Along with the 8,000 rounds requested for the Ellsworth officers, 8,000 rounds were requested for an office in Massachusetts, 24,000 rounds for Florida and 6,000 rounds for New Jersey.
The National Weather Service began fielding questions Tuesday about why it would need gun ammunition, and NOAA set out to explain the misstep.
Maine and Massachusetts offices also are seeking 200 practice targets each, with the New Jersey location asking for an additional 100 targets.
“NOAA officers and agents enforce the nation’s ocean and fishing laws to ensure a level playing field for fishermen and to protect marine species like whales, dolphins and turtles,” Bales-Sherrod said.
Hollow-point bullets, which are designed to expand when they strike their target, are standard issue for many law enforcement agencies, including the 63 NOAA law enforcement personnel that will use the rounds for their firearms qualifications and training, according to Bales-Sherrod.
The Internet was rife with headlines ranging from the Washington Times’ “Hail of bullets? National Weather Service says ammo request was ‘clerical error’” to The Free Republic’s “Weather Service Buys 46000 Rounds of Illegal Hollow Point Bullets.”
Representatives of the National Weather Service offices in Gray and Caribou said Wednesday evening they hadn’t received any confused or concerned calls since the errant NOAA posting.
Everybody complains about the weather….but, if they’re smart, they won’t complain any more.
Its going to rain…bullets!
Sort of in the same vein as “Don’t shoot the messenger,” eh?
On the contrary, you are supposed to complain — by joining the climate hysteria fad, thereby turning complaining about the weather into an excuse for more bureaucratic controls.
NOAA has a law enforcement division?? Huh. Learn something new every day. What exactly do they do??
“NOAA officers and agents enforce the nation’s ocean and fishing laws to ensure a level playing field for fishermen and to protect marine species like whales, dolphins and turtles,” Bales-Sherrod said.
Which basically seems to mean that if fishermen start shooting at each other or poaching endangered animals, the officers have a way protecting themselves and others while attempting to stop it.
Sounds reasonable just as long as they don’t turn into an American version of the Soviet VCheka and start calling themselves the “Green Police.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVPyHrPZbVM
Not “what they do”, but what will they be doing?
NOAA also has a Commissioned Officer corps as well. One of the 7 federal uniformed services.
http://www.noaacorps.noaa.gov/
Nick, how about getting a quote from the Social Security Administration regarding their purchase of 174,000 rounds of 357 Magnum ammo?
Don’t forget, the Department of Education bought a bunch of short barrel 12-gauge shotguns. ICE ordered 200 million rounds of 40 caliber hollow point, FBI ordered 100 million rounds, and DHS ordered 450 million rounds. We arming all federal employees?
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=6c39a2a9f00a10187a1432388a3301e5&tab=core&_cview=0&fb_source=message
It’s not about gun control anymore.
It’s about ammo control.
Maybe…just maybe this has something to do with NRA lobbying Congress to have these purchases added to these departments’ yearly appropriations in order to increase the profits of the weapon and ammo manufacturers. Nah….I doubt that is it at all.
DO NOT tick off the weatherman! If his forecast is wrong…just walk away.
And people wonder why pro 2nd Amendment people say we should be afraid of our government.
It isn’t just NOAA, Many departments of the federal government now have weapons stockpiles and police, security, and even SWAT teams within their ranks, just as Imperceptus points out elsewhere in this thread.
And don’t even get me started on all the cities and larger towns across the US that have gotten weapons caches and even para-military vehicles and whatnot from federal government grants. http://www.wmur.com/Controversial-Armored-Vehicle-Approved-In-Keene/-/9858568/11835220/-/8iu9hnz/-/index.html
I think if we ever do manage some more national gun control, (and I’m not saying we should) any citizen disarmament is going to have to move forward in concert with some government disarmament because this government is completely out of control in every way, shape, and form.
I expect the government will help the citizenry if and when the armed-to-the-teeth nutcases start fomenting an armed rebellion.
Liz, is so open to others as long as they’re like her. You Madame, are rude!
she’s right, I worry more about the home grown conspiracy minded than I do the government
A lot of Russians, Hungarians, Polish, German Jews will disagree with you. I could be wrong, but I think those countries have / had strict gun control.
NOAA swat teams?! Are you serious? Do you think Todd Simcox is going to kick your door in with his comando unit ? I am Pro 2nd, but some kooks take it a little too far with the stories….Just sayin’
Hmmm. 46,000 divided by 63 — that’s 730 rounds per officer, just for “practice”. How about we send them all out to the range with pellet pistols and a tin of pellets each, and save the taxpayers a pile of money? Or, is there some other reason besides “target practice” for all this Federal artillery?
Says someone who has never fired a gun. Bullets and pellets are apples and oranges when it comes to “target practice”.
Additionally, 100 rounds is nothing to squeeze off in a short target shoot. If these are for training, they will go quick.
I know when I normally shoot I tend to go through 4-5 boxes. It takes at least one box to get “warmed up”.
Huge difference between handling a pellet pistol and a police officer’s duty pistol. Practice with what you use, including the exact ammunition.
More than likely they ordered a larger supply because they get a better price. It’s also a possibility that this supply is for a long period of time. Reporters don’t always get the whole story, it depends on what questions they ask.
Return them to the post office..
This is just the standard 2 year re-supply of training and duty ammo these agencies, nothing to get excited about. Routine purchase for these listed agencies, but was brought to light by the modern, on line, Request for Proposal reverse bidding system. I for one want these guys and gals to be able to instantly incapacitate a threat when and if the time came, vs shooting bullets all over the place. To do that they’ve got to “bury their a_ _ in brass”. FATS systems, pellet guns, smaller training caliber, just don’t cut it. When I used to do that type of work 15 years ago we each had 30 rounds a month just for proficiency training, then 60 rounds once a quarter for qualification. Now bump that up a couple as most also have to maintain proficiency for shotgun, ar-15 or mp-5 long rifle, some have full auto weapons, mace/capsicum, taser…..so there is always training. As an aside, the NOAA Law Enforcement Agents are the ones to bring matters before US Attorneys for crimes such as large commercial fishing overharvesting; shooting whales… http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/ They are an additional layer of law enforcement to protect ocean resources working with U.S. Coast Guard, Maine Marine Patrol, DEA, Customs and a lot of other agencies. They make a Federal Case out of it.
I guess the tasers didn’t work on those killer tornadoes.
The hollow point bullets are for the Hurricane Hunters.
I heard the National Weather Service say there are going to be more hurricanes in the next few years and they will be more ferocious than the ones in the past.
Declare open season on hurricanes!
i get mine online really cheap and 730 rounds is a fun afternoon
Becareful the anti gun nuts will be out and in an uproar..