-Caveat Lector- U.S. Ammunition Sold to Civilians By TOM RAUM .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Some 100,000 rounds of armor-piercing ammunition were transferred from the military to the civilian market over the past year, a congressional study found. The transfer was done under a government program set up to help the military dispose of surplus and obsolete ammunition, said the study released Wednesday by the Democratic minority of the House Government Reform Committee. The report said the Pentagon sells surplus .50-caliber shells designed for long-range military sniper weapons for $1 a ton to a West Virginia manufacturing company. Talon Manufacturing dismantled 98 percent of the rounds for scrap, but it refurbished the remaining 2 percent and offered them for sale, including to foreign military and civilian buyers, the report said. ``The sale of armor piercing ammunition in the civilian market poses a threat to public safety,'' said the report, while acknowledging that no laws are being violated. The Colombian and Brazilian military were listed by the report as Talon's foreign military customers, purchasing a total of 203,000 rounds over the past year. The company also refurbished and sold back to the U.S. military 35,000 rounds, the report said. ``We're doing nothing wrong. I'm not sure what the issue is,'' said John Connor, a Talon executive. The company also issued a written statement saying its operations ``are conducted according to contract and or appropriate statutory or regulatory requirements.'' ``Talon does not buy ammunition from the government but is paid by the government to demilitarize ammunition as established by contract,'' the statement said, disputing the report's claim that the government sells the surplus ammunition for $1 a ton. Rep. Rod Blagojevich, D-Ill., who with Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., commissioned the study, said the program allowing high-powered ammunition to pass from the military into civilian hands may not be illegal - but should be. ``This shows an unhealthy relationship between the Pentagon and gun dealers,'' Blagojevich said. The report was based partly on an undercover investigation by the General Accounting Office, the investigative branch of Congress. It said one unidentified dealer boasted in a tape-recorded conversation that the ammunition would ``go through six inches of steel up to a 45-degree angle at 1,000 yards'' and could easily go through bulletproof glass or an armored limousine. Despite its firepower, .50-caliber ammunition is virtually unregulated, the report said. ``The investigation showed that the U.S. military is indirectly arming civilians with some of the most powerful and destructive ammunition currently available,'' the report said. Talon is permitted to refurbish the ammunition and sell it in the civilian market under the Department of Defense's Conventional Demilitarization Program. Talon has an exclusive agreement with the Pentagon. From the 98 percent of .50-calibre ammunition that it dismantles for scrap the company manufactures an explosive used in road construction, the report said. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
