Members Of Congress Introduce Legislation Based On Fringe Conspiracy Theory

[octoberlib]

Two Republican members of Congress introduced legislation on Friday that would limit the amount of ammunition the government is able to purchase at a given time. The bill is a response to far-right conspiracy theories that the government is “stockpiling” ammunition, either to wage a war against the American people or to dry up the ammunition market so average citizens can’t buy bullets.
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) will put forth the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability Act (or, AMMO) Act in both the House and Senate. The bill would require executive branch agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to maintain ammunition levels below the average monthly amounts that the agencies had before Obama took office.


Last week, another Republican representative, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) brought up the “stockpiling” conspiracy in a hearing with DHS Sec. Janet Napolitano, who said it was “inherently unbelievable that those statements would be made.”


The theory comes from fringe websites like Alex Jones’s Infowars, but have been given a platform by Drudge, a site that commonly peddles unfounded conspiracy theories. Even some far-right sites have taken it upon themselves to debunk the claim that DHS is “stockpiling” weapons. Brietbart.com described the theories as “based more on panic than fact.”

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/04/26/1925461/stockpiling-conspiracy-inhofe/

[geek tragedy]

1. The DHS ammuniation conspiracy theory has been pushed here at DU

With alarming frequency.

http://www.google.com/search?q=dhs+ammunition&sitesearch=democraticunderground.com&safe=active

[jberryhill]

2. Yep

[geek tragedy]

3. And not just from obvious rightwingers either.

A combination of the gungeoneers and the paranoid left.

[octoberlib]

4. I forgot all about those posts. To actually propose legislation

based on what was posted on Infowars is insane .

[geek tragedy]

5. Look at the overlap between Infowars and leftwing sites. Check out the below.

Homeland Security to Purchase 1.6 Billion Rounds of Ammo and Armored Personnel Carriers

http://current.com/community/94072888_homeland-security-to-purchase-1-6-billion- rounds-of-ammo-and-armored-personel-carriers.htm

If people on the left are going to swallow it, you can bet Inhofe will introduce it as legislation.

[baldguy]

6. Why am I not surprised that it's being pushed by the usual suspects in the gungeon?

[geek tragedy]

7. The gungeoneers are the obvious ones to pick up on it.

But, some "leftier than thou" types also ran with it.