Why does Social Security need 174,000 bullets?

**lewisipso** · 09-04-12, 09:13 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — It didn't take long for the Internet to start buzzing with conspiracy theories after the Social Security Administration posted a notice that it was purchasing 174,000 hollow-point bullets.
Why is the agency that provides benefits to retirees, disabled workers, widows and children stockpiling ammunition? Whom are they going to use it on?
"It's not outlandish to suggest that the Social Security Administration is purchasing the bullets as part of preparations for civil unrest," the website Infowars.com said.
Another website, The Daily Caller, said the bullets must be for use against American citizens, "since the SSA has never been used overseas to help foreign countries maintain control of their citizens."
The clamor became such a distraction for the agency that it dedicated a website to explaining the purchase. The explanation, it turns out, isn't as tantalizing as an arms buildup to defend against unruly senior citizens.

Why does Social Security need 174,000 bullets? - Yahoo! News

**keith720** · 09-04-12, 09:46 PM

They're probably gouing to send them out to the oldest 174,000 recipients of SSI to try to pare down the numbers.

**Jim1348** · 09-04-12, 10:24 PM

I think I just read something similar about NOAA. I thought they determines that this was for their Office Of Inspector General. They are armed and have been as long as I can remember. I certainly does make for good fuel for the conspiracy theorists, though!

**bayern** · 09-05-12, 09:14 AM

The bullets are for the "death boards" being set up under Nobama Care. Ya gotta control the masses when they find out that they canj't get health care because of their age and that their Social Security Checks bounce.

**Odd** · 09-05-12, 10:03 AM

Once again when the Feds get caught with their pants down the AP is there to report on a beautiful full moon.

**ChesCopPodz** · 09-05-12, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Odd

Once again when the Feds get caught with their pants down the AP is there to report on a beautiful full moon.

Not sure how you figure they got caught with their pants down. They have an armed investigative branch with just under 300 agents. That round count comes out to about 600 rounds per agent for quals, training, and duty rounds, which is a perfectly reasonable round count per agent.

The ignorant masses conjuring up conspiracy theories is on them, not the SSA

**MacLean** · 09-05-12, 11:57 AM

A better question is why do they have three hundred agents.

The bullets themselves amount to a relatively small number.

**ChesCopPodz** · 09-05-12, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by MacLean

A better question is why do they have three hundred agents.

The bullets themselves amount to a relatively small number.

Hell, from the social security fraud I've seen, they need many more than 300.

**MacLean** · 09-05-12, 12:07 PM

FBI could do it. Transfer those agents there. It gets a little suspicious when every alphabet agency has their own cops.

Arguably, the Feds need two kinds - uniformed and non-uniformed.

**Jks9199** · 09-05-12, 01:02 PM

The problem is the way the feds are set up. They have very limited jurisdiction so you can see really does end up needing your own enforcement officers.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

**Jim1348** · 09-05-12, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by ChesCopPodz

Hell, from the Social Security fraud I've seen, they need many more than 300.

Several years back, I was the deputy assigned to Welfare Fraud Investigation for my county. First off, let me tell you that since I was the only deputy for my county assigned to this at the time, I had way more cases than I could possibly investigate. Some fraud was investigated and some wasn't, of the ones that were referred to the County Attorney, some were charged and some weren't. It was the absolute lowest priority in their office and, frankly, it was probably the lowest in ours, as well. Frequently, I would run across people on SSI or SSDI or whatever it is called who were probably receiving it fraudulently. I would pass along the information to the Social Security Administration Office Of Inspector General. For as busy as I was for one county, the SSA OIG guys maybe had three agents at the time and they covered three states!

**Mark7** · 09-05-12, 02:51 PM

There's now a SS OIG blog to ease fears:

Social Security's OIG Responds to Concerns over Ammunition Procurement | Office of the Inspector General, SSA

Of course the "comments" left by readers are pure gold!

**Xiphos** · 09-05-12, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by MacLean

A better question is why do they have three hundred agents.

The bullets themselves amount to a relatively small number.

589 arrests for all of them for the year. Considering some are probably management I would guess 2 or 3 arrests per field agent per year. That sounds slamming busy.

**Xiphos** · 09-05-12, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by ChesCopPodz

The ignorant masses conjuring up conspiracy theories is on them, not the SSA

Inforwars is the king of black helicopter theories. They have less credibility than Wikipedia.

**Jim1348** · 09-05-12, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by Xiphos

589 arrests for all of them for the year. Considering some are probably management I would guess 2 or 3 arrests per field agent per year. That sounds slamming busy.

Actually, isn't that still higher than the FBI?

**Xiphos** · 09-05-12, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by Jim1348

Actually, isn't that still higher than the FBI?

Not when you count all the arrests the FBI takes credit for.

**Captain America** · 09-06-12, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by Xiphos

Not when you count all the arrests the FBI takes credit for.

We talking actually arrests or press conferences ?

**Xiphos** · 09-06-12, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by Captain America

We talking actually arrests or press conferences ?

Isn't that the same thing in the FBI?

**Odd** · 09-06-12, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by ChesCopPodz

Not sure how you figure they got caught with their pants down. They have an armed investigative branch with just under 300 agents. That round count comes out to about 600 rounds per agent for quals, training, and duty rounds, which is a perfectly reasonable round count per agent.

The ignorant masses conjuring up conspiracy theories is on them, not the SSA

I'm a fan of people carrying guns knowing how to use them well. 600 rounds isn't unreasonable at all, more unreasonable would be agencies that don't provide that many. I have little doubt someone filled out the same requisition form they've been filling out for decades - that's not what was new this time.

After a month of politicians and beltway pundits lining up to smear themselves with the blood of the slain and parade in front of cameras to cry out that anyone who buys more than three bullets a month is a lunatic the 'ignorant masses' weren't in the mood to hear about yet another agency they weren't even aware of are getting a truckload. That's the climate where snarky lashing out thrives. This would be the year to do the blog post before the requisition. Lead off with how your enforcement bureau has saved the taxpapers X many billions and shut down Y many scam artists. Hate it all you want, but we're all in marketing now. That an agency directly in the business of saving the taxpayers from being defrauded can even get bad press shows someone needs to learn some new skills.

Sure, some of that 'press' comes from Infowars. They see black helicopters and UN invasions daily though and get ignored. A few of their lunatic fringe lead the charge again same as ever, again what was different this time? Most of those who clicked the links and followed along were in it for something new, if only something different to sound off about. This story got legs based on frustrated snark of voiceless masses who see their livelihoods dissolving around them much more than bullets, imo.