The photo above was taken outside our local Academy Sports store just a couple of days ago.  This scene is played out at thousands of retailers all across America every day.  But why?  How and why is this happening?  Is this just a function of a public panic over threatened gun control action?  A recent Rasmussen poll says 65 percent of Americans see the Second Amendment as protection against tyranny.

There's been lots of speculation over the last several months about ammo shortages.  Consumers are frustrated with long lines and the lack of availability.  The most common calibers are increasingly difficult to find.  9mm, .223 cal., 5.56 NATO, .40, cal. and .45 cal. have all but dried up.  Prices are up 100 to 200 percent over just two years ago.  I recently stood in line for over an hour and a half to purchase the last two 20 round boxes of .45 at a local retailer.  I paid just under $30 per box.  Two years ago, the same rounds would have cost just over $15, even less online.

Many have pointed to the outrageous quantities of ammo being sought by the Department of Homeland Security.  According to a recent article by Breitbart.com columnist Awr Hawkins, the DHS has ordered some 1.9 billion rounds of 9 mm.  Last summer, The Blaze reported the Social Security Administration had requested over 174,000 rounds of ammo.  Even the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made substantial purchases in recent months for their Office of Law Enforcement.  Who the heck knew NOAA had (or needs) a law enforcement office?

Couple all of  this with the private purchases that are increasing day by day and you've got a formula for a good old fashioned shortage.  Could that actually be part of the governments plan?  Think about it.  Head on gun control does not work.  California Senator Diane Feinstein saw her feeble attempt are reviving the so-called assault weapons ban of the 90's melt down before her very eyes last week.  So what if this rapid-fire buying frenzy on the part of DHS is actually an attempt to corner the market?

What if the government is preparing for some sort of 'civil unrest'?  What's the plan?  Shoot us all?  Or what if this is actually DHS's way of trying to corner the market?  What if the idea is to see if it's actually possible to stress the marketplace to a breaking point.  Manufacturers like Winchester and Federal are working at full capacity, 24/7, and still cannot keep pace with current demand.  Could this be what Janet Napolitano and the Department of Homeland Security want to test?  Sound outrageous to you?  Is it any more outrageous than the Social Security Administration or NOAA buying up bullets faster than you can say 'lock and load'?

Several congressmen have demanded that Napolitano and DHS explain these purchases.  So far, Napolitano and company have stonewalled, refusing to answer questions.  All this secrecy does is gin up more distrust against Napolitano and DHS.  The agency has done little to endear itself to the American public and Napolitano, it seems, could give a damn less.  The near all-powerful agency has even gone so far as to set up unannounced 'checkpoints' with agents armed with fully automatic weapons.  These have been explained as 'drills' by DHS.  Officials have, so far as we can find, refused to elaborate further.

Do you believe the ammo shortages could be an orchestrated effort by DHS to stress ammo supplies, creating a backdoor form of gun control?  Take our poll now.

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