DEPARTMENT OF 

HOMELAND 

SECURITY

Ammunition 

Purchases Have 

Declined since 2009

Report to Congressional Requesters

January 2014

GAO-14-119

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-14-119, a report to 

congressional requesters

January 2014

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Ammunition Purchases Have Declined since 2009

Why GAO Did This Study

DHS and its components have 

homeland security and law 

enforcement missions that require 

agents and officers to carry and be 

proficient in the use of firearms. DHS 

has more than 70,000 firearm-carrying 

personnel—the most of any 

department. DOJ has the next largest 

with approximately 69,000 firearmcarrying personnel. GAO was asked to 

examine DHS’s ammunition purchases 

and management of ammunition and 

firearms. 

This report addresses trends in DHS’s 

ammunition purchases since fiscal 

year 2008, how DHS’s purchases 

compare with DOJ’s, and what factors 

affect DHS’s purchase decisions. GAO 

analyzed data from six DHS and three 

DOJ components that have law 

enforcement missions, require agents

and officers to carry firearms, and 

purchase ammunition themselves or 

through their respective departments. 

Specifically, GAO analyzed data on

ammunition purchases, usage, costs,

and inventories, among other things,

for fiscal years 2008 through 2013 for 

DHS, and for fiscal years 2011 through 

2013 for DOJ. GAO assessed the 

reliability of these data and found them 

sufficiently reliable. Data on DOJ 

ammunition purchases prior to fiscal 

year 2011 were not readily available; 

therefore, GAO excluded them, as 

discussed in the report.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is not making any 

recommendations.

What GAO Found

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) annual ammunition purchases 

have declined since fiscal year 2009 and are comparable in number to the 

Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ammunition purchases. In fiscal year 2013, DHS 

purchased 84 million rounds of ammunition, which is less than DHS’s 

ammunition purchases over the past 5 fiscal years, as shown in the figure below. 

DHS component officials said the decline in ammunition purchases in fiscal year 

2013 was primarily a result of budget constraints, which meant reducing the 

number of training classes, and drawing on their ammunition inventories. From 

fiscal years 2008 through 2013, DHS purchased an average of 109 million 

rounds of ammunition for training, qualification, and operational needs, according 

to DHS data. DHS’s ammunition purchases over the 6-year period equates to an 

average of 1,200 rounds purchased per firearm-carrying agent or officer per year. 

Over the past 3 fiscal years (2011-2013), DHS purchased an average of 1,000 

rounds per firearm-carrying agent or officer and selected DOJ components 

purchased 1,300 rounds per firearm-carrying agent or officer.

Total Department of Homeland Security Ammunition Purchases for Fiscal 

Years 2008 through 2013

DHS ammunition purchases are driven primarily by firearm training and 

qualification requirements. Most DHS firearm-carrying personnel are required to 

qualify four times per year, though requirements vary by component, as do the 

number of rounds of ammunition typically used for training and qualification. DHS 

components also reported considering other factors when making ammunition 

purchase decisions, such as changes in firearms, usage rates, and ammunition 

inventories. DHS components maintain inventories of ammunition to help ensure 

they have sufficient ammunition for the training and operational needs of their 

officers, as there can be months-long delays between placing an order for 

ammunition and receiving it. As of October 2013, DHS estimates it had 

approximately 159 million rounds in inventory, enough to last about 22 months to 

meet the training and operational needs of its firearm-carrying personnel. 

Ammunition inventory data provided by DOJ components indicated that inventory 

ranged from about 13 months’ worth to about 20 months’ worth. 

View GAO-14-119. For more information, 

contact David Maurer at (202) 512-9627 or 

MaurerD@gao.gov.
Page i GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Letter 1

Background 5

DHS’s Ammunition Purchases Have Declined in Recent Years 

and Vary Based on Numerous Factors; Annual Ammunition 

Purchases are Comparable to DOJ’s 10

DHS Has Policies and Guidance for Firearms and Ammunition 

Inventory Management 24

Agency Comments 29

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 31

Appendix II Commonly Used Ammunition and Issued Firearms at DHS 38

Appendix III Department of Homeland Security Ammunition Contracts, 

as of October 1, 2013 40

Appendix IV Comments from the Department of Homeland Security 43

Appendix V GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 45

Tables

Table 1: Law Enforcement Missions of Selected Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice 

(DOJ) Components and Number of Personnel Authorized 

to Carry Firearms in Fiscal Year 2013 6

Table 2: Annual Average Number of Rounds of Ammunition 

Purchased, per Firearm-Carrying Agent or Officer, by 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Law 

Enforcement Component in Our Review, Fiscal Years 

2008-2013 14

Table 3: Selected Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 

Components’ Estimated Ammunition Inventory by Total 

Contents
Page ii GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Rounds and by the Number of Months’ Supply at Three 

Points in Time Over 1 Year 22

Table 4: Approximate Number of Rounds of Ammunition 

Purchased per Agent or Officer for the Department of 

Homeland Security and Department of Justice 

Components in Our Review for Fiscal Years 2011 through 

2013 23

Figures

Figure 1: Members and Goals of the Department of Homeland 

Security’s (DHS) Weapons and Ammunition Commodity 

Council 9

Figure 2: Total Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 

Ammunition Purchases for Components in Our Review 

from Fiscal Years 2008 through 2013 12

Figure 3: Number of Rounds of Ammunition Purchased, by 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Component in 

Our Review, from Fiscal Years 2008 through 2013 13

Figure 4: Estimated Ammunition Used by the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) Components in Our Review 

from Fiscal Years 2008 through 2013 20

Figure 5: Ammunition Commonly Purchased by Immigration and 

Customs Enforcement (ICE) 38

Figure 6: Firearms Commonly Issued by Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) Components 39
Page iii GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Abbreviations

ATF Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and 

Explosives

CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection

DEA Drug Enforcement Administration

DHS Department of Homeland Security

DOJ Department of Justice 

FACTS Firearms, Armor, and Credentials Tracking 

System

FAMS Federal Air Marshal Service 

FAR Federal Acquisition Regulations

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FFDO federal flight deck officer

FLETC Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers

FPDS Federal Procurement Data System

FPS Federal Protective Service

HSAR Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation

HSAM Homeland Security Acquisition Manual

ICE U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

IDIQ indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity

mm millimeter

NFTTU National Firearms Tactical and Training Unit 

NPPD National Protection and Programs 

Directorate

TSA Transportation Security Administration

USSS U.S. Secret Service

WACC Weapons and Ammunition Commodity 

Council

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Page 1 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

January 13, 2014

The Honorable Tom A. Coburn, M.D.

Ranking Member

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

United States Senate

The Honorable Michael T. McCaul

Chairman

Committee on Homeland Security

House of Representatives

The Honorable Jeff Duncan

Chairman

Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency

Committee on Homeland Security

House of Representatives

The Honorable Richard Hudson

Chairman

Subcommittee on Transportation Security

Committee on Homeland Security

House of Representatives

The Honorable John L. Mica

Member

House of Representatives

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and five of its 

components—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), National 

Protection and Programs Directorate/Federal Protective Service (FPS), 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Transportation 

Security Administration (TSA), and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS)—

have homeland security and law enforcement responsibilities and 

missions that require law enforcement agents and officers to carry and be 

proficient in the use of firearms and ammunition.1

 1

DHS defines a firearm as any weapon (excluding flare and starter guns) that will, or that 

is designed to, or may be readily converted to expel a projectile by the action of an 

explosive to include the frame or receiver of any such weapon or any sound suppression 

device. DHS classifies a firearm as a “Dangerous and Hazardous Sensitive Asset.”

DHS employs more 
Page 2 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

firearm-carrying law enforcement personnel than any other department—

more than 70,000, according to DHS data, and DHS components 

purchase ammunition for these personnel.2

At both DHS and DOJ, federal law enforcement agents and officers are 

authorized to carry firearms, and are required to train in their use and 

pass certain firearms qualification standards. Firearms proficiency is a 

key component of an officer’s ability to successfully fulfill the component’s 

mission and protect life and public safety. To help ensure the firearms 

proficiency of their firearm-carrying workforce, these agencies purchase a 

variety of types of ammunition for training, qualifications, and operational 

purposes.

Firearm-carrying personnel at 

DHS include Border Patrol agents, federal air marshals, and Secret 

Service agents, among others. In addition, another DHS component—the 

four interagency training sites that constitute the Federal Law 

Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC)—also purchases ammunition. 

FLETC trains an average of over 66,000 federal, state, local, tribal, and 

international law enforcement personnel every year, according to DHS 

officials. Ammunition purchased by FLETC is utilized by all students who 

train on firearms at its facilities. For comparison, the Department of 

Justice (DOJ) and its components—including the Bureau of Alcohol, 

Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Federal Bureau of Investigation 

(FBI); U.S. Marshals Service; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); 

and the Federal Bureau of Prisons—have the second largest number of 

federal personnel authorized to carry firearms, with approximately 69,000 

agents and officers authorized to carry firearms as of October 2013, 

according to DOJ data.

Because DHS’s law enforcement missions require the department, 

through its components, to purchase ammunition and manage various 

types of firearms, effective management and oversight of ammunition and 

firearms is an important aspect of DHS’s overall mission. It is incumbent 

 2

The number presented here—more than 70,000—represents the number of DHS 

personnel required to carry a firearm, according to data provided by DHS, as of October 

2013. The specific number of DHS personnel required to carry a firearm is considered 

sensitive security information and therefore is not included in this report. This is because 

the specific number of DHS personnel would include the number of TSA firearm-carrying 

personnel, such as federal air marshals and federal flight deck officers—and those 

numbers are considered sensitive security information. In addition to these more than 

70,000 civilian DHS law enforcement officers, the U.S. Coast Guard—a DHS 

component—has over 41,000 uniformed members of the military who also train with and 

carry firearms in the performance of their duties. 
Page 3 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

upon agencies to ensure the effective and efficient management of 

ammunition and firearms as stewards of taxpayer resources. You asked 

us to examine DHS’s ammunition purchases and its management of both 

ammunition and firearms. This report addresses the following questions:

1. What are the trends in DHS’s ammunition purchases since fiscal year 

2008, what factors affect its purchase decisions, and how do DHS’s 

purchases compare with DOJ’s?

2. What policies and guidance does DHS have for managing firearms 

and ammunition inventories?

To address our first question, we obtained available data from DHS and 

DOJ law enforcement components with firearm-carrying personnel 

regarding their ammunition purchases, costs, usage, inventory, and the 

size of the authorized firearm-carrying workforce. We also obtained data 

on DHS planned ammunition purchases for fiscal year 2014. Specifically, 

we selected all DHS law enforcement components with firearm-carrying 

personnel—CBP, ICE, TSA, USSS, FPS, as well as FLETC.3

 3

While other DHS components, such as the Office of the Inspector General and the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency, may have a small number of personnel 

authorized to carry firearms for whom they purchase ammunition, these components are 

not law enforcement components, and thus we did not include them in our review. The 

number of TSA firearm-carrying personnel is considered sensitive security information. 

Accordingly, some information on TSA ammunition purchases and usage that could 

identify the number of TSA firearm-carrying personnel was excluded from this report.

We 

excluded the U.S. Coast Guard—a DHS component with firearm-carrying 

personnel—because the U.S. Coast Guard does not procure ammunition 

through DHS; rather, the U.S. Coast Guard procures its ammunition 

through Department of Defense contracts. Similarly, we selected all DOJ 

law enforcement components with firearm-carrying personnel. However,

the Federal Bureau of Prisons could not provide ammunition purchase 

data comparable to that of the other components based on its method of 

record keeping and data retention policy. We determined that data from 

the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were not sufficiently reliable 

for our purposes, because DEA could only provide estimates of 

purchases. Therefore, the DOJ components included in our review are 

ATF, FBI, and U.S. Marshals Service. We included these DOJ law 

enforcement agencies in our review to provide context to help understand 

DHS’s ammunition purchases relative to those of other federal law 

enforcement agencies.
Page 4 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

We selected fiscal year 2008 as the starting point for our analysis 

because data on DHS ammunition purchases, cost, and usage were not 

readily available or reliable prior to 2008, according to DHS officials. 

Nevertheless, obtaining data going back 5 fiscal years provides historical 

perspective on DHS’s ammunition purchases and use over time, and 

allows for comparisons with purchases in fiscal year 2013 and planned 

purchases for fiscal year 2014. We analyzed the data to identify any 

changes in the amount of ammunition purchased or used year to year 

and interviewed knowledgeable agency officials to understand the 

reasons why changes occurred. For each fiscal year, we calculated the

amount of ammunition purchased per agent and officer authorized to 

carry firearms at each DHS and DOJ component in our review, using 

component-provided data on the amount of ammunition purchased and 

the number of firearm-carrying personnel. We calculated the average 

number of rounds purchased per agent or officer per year for fiscal years 

2008 through 2013 at DHS, excluding FLETC, by determining the 

average amount of ammunition purchased across DHS law enforcement 

components in each fiscal year and dividing that by the average number 

of agents or officers at DHS for each fiscal year. We determined that 

ammunition purchase data for DOJ components were not sufficiently 

reliable prior to 2011 for all components, so we used data from fiscal 

years 2011 through 2013 to do the same calculation. We analyzed the 

amount of ammunition purchased per agent or officer authorized to carry 

firearms to account for the varying sizes of the different departments and 

components. We selected ammunition purchases by DOJ to provide a 

comparison with DHS’s ammunition purchases as DOJ has the second 

largest number of personnel authorized to carry firearms. However, our 

DOJ analysis is not to suggest that the department represents a model or 

standard against which DHS is assessed. Differences in the amount of 

ammunition purchased per firearm-carrying agent or officer reflect a 

number of factors, including unique mission requirements and training 

needs.

To assess the reliability of these data, we reviewed DHS ammunition 

procurement contract files and interviewed knowledgeable officials at 

DHS and DOJ responsible for collecting and reporting these data. In 

addition, for the data we obtained from DHS components on ammunition 

purchases and costs, we compared the data with corroborating evidence, 

such as information from the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), 

to determine data consistency and reasonableness. We found the data on 

ammunition purchase, usage, cost, and inventory, as well as workforce 

data, to be sufficiently reliable for our purposes, with caveats and 

exceptions noted throughout the report. We also interviewed DHS 

component officials from each of the components in our review 
Page 5 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

responsible for overseeing the ammunition procurement process and 

determining ammunition requirements at the component level. We also 

discussed the purpose of quality testing the ammunition, and to 

understand the context of why proficiency among firearm-carrying 

personnel is important. Finally, for additional context, we visited the ICE 

National Firearms Testing Lab, which performs quality control testing on 

ammunition and firearms, and maintains an inventory of ammunition and 

firearms for distribution to DHS field locations.

To address our second question, we reviewed DHS-wide and DHS 

component-level policy documents, such as acquisition and personal 

property management directives, and firearms and ammunition guidance 

and operating procedures. We interviewed knowledgeable officials from 

the DHS Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, CBP, FLETC, FPS, ICE,

TSA, and USSS regarding their management and oversight of 

ammunition and firearms and the related policies and procedures for DHS 

and its components. We also reviewed available DHS Inspector General 

audit and component inspection reports related to the oversight over 

ammunition and firearms. We did not assess if the components’ policies, 

procedures, and process for managing their firearms and ammunition 

inventories were working as intended, as that was outside the scope of 

our review. For more information on our scope and methodology, see 

appendix I.

We conducted this performance audit from May 2013 to January 2014 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.

DHS and DOJ have several components with law enforcement functions 

whose personnel are authorized to carry firearms in support of 

accomplishing their respective missions. Table 1 describes the various 

law enforcement and homeland security missions of the DHS and DOJ 

components within our review, as well as the number of personnel 

authorized to carry firearms in fiscal year 2013.

Background

DHS and DOJ 

Components in Our 

Review with FirearmCarrying Personnel
Page 6 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Table 1: Law Enforcement Missions of Selected Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) 

Components and Number of Personnel Authorized to Carry Firearms in Fiscal Year 2013

Department and 

component Law enforcement mission

Number of 

personnel 

authorized to 

carry firearms in 

fiscal year 2013

DHS

U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP)

CBP’s priority mission is to keep terrorists and their weapons out of the United 

States, while upholding a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel. 

CBP’s law enforcement functions include enforcing a wide range of U.S. regulations, 

including immigration and customs laws. 

43,000a

Federal Law Enforcement 

Training Centers (FLETC)

FLETC provides career-long training to law enforcement professionals to help them 

fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently. FLETC has four training sites that 

train an average of about 66,000 federal, state, local, tribal, and international law 

enforcement personnel every year.

16

Federal Protective Service 

(FPS)

A subcomponent of the National Protection and Programs Directorate, FPS is a 

federal law enforcement agency that provides integrated security and law 

enforcement services to the General Service Administration’s federally owned and 

leased buildings, facilities, properties, and other federal properties.

955

U.S. Immigration and 

Customs Enforcement 

(ICE)

ICE is the principal investigative arm of DHS and promotes homeland security and 

public safety through the enforcement of federal criminal and civil laws governing 

border control, customs, trade, and immigration.

13,234

Transportation Security 

Administration (TSA)

TSA protects the nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for 

people and commerce. The largest firearm-carrying components of TSA are the 

Federal Air Marshals Service (FAMS) and federal flight deck officers (FFDOs).

Federal air marshals deploy on U.S. aircraft world-wide, and conduct protection, 

response, detection, and assessment activities in airports and other transportation 

systems. Under the federal flight deck officer program, eligible flight crew members 

are authorized by TSA to use firearms to defend the flight deck against an act of 

criminal violence or air piracy.

The number of 

FAMS and 

FFDOs is 

considered

sensitive security 

information

U.S. Secret Service 

(USSS)

USSS safeguards the nation’s financial infrastructure and payment systems to 

preserve the integrity of the economy and protects national leaders; visiting heads of 

state; as well as government, designated sites, and national special security events.

5,014

DOJ 

Federal Bureau of 

Investigation (FBI)

The FBI protects and defends the United States against terrorist and foreign 

intelligence threats; upholds and enforces the criminal laws of the United States; and 

provides leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and 

international agencies and partners.

13,856

Bureau of Alcohol, 

Tobacco, Firearms, and 

Explosives (ATF)

ATF protects communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, the illegal 

use and trafficking of firearms, the illegal use and storage of explosives, acts of arson 

and bombings, acts of terrorism, and the illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco 

products.

3,051

U.S. Marshals Service The U.S. Marshals Service protects the federal judiciary, apprehends federal 

fugitives, manages and sells seized assets acquired by criminals through illegal 

activities, houses and transports federal prisoners, and operates the Witness Security 

Program.

9,235

Source: GAO analysis of DHS and DOJ information.
Page 7 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

a

The data from CBP include a rounded number of personnel for one of CBP’s sub-components. 

Therefore, we report CBP’s data rounded to the thousands.

In support of their law enforcement missions, both DHS and DOJ law 

enforcement officers and agents use a number of different types of 

firearms, which require a variety of ammunition. Examples of firearms 

include side arms, such as pistols, and long guns, such as rifles. 

Commonly used ammunition includes .40 caliber, .223 caliber, and 9 

millimeter, according to our analysis of data provided by DHS. More 

examples of commonly used firearms and ammunition can be found in 

appendix II.4

In 2003, DHS began its strategic sourcing program to leverage its buying 

power and secure competitive prices for a variety of goods and services, 

resulting in cost savings through collective procurement actions (e.g., 

buying in bulk quantities at lower prices).5 DHS developed its first 

strategically sourced ammunition procurement in 2005. DHS’s strategic 

sourcing contract vehicles include contracts or agreements that have 

been established for use by two or more components, and these types of 

contracts have been used by DHS components to procure ammunition. 

The Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Federal Procurement 

Policy has cited DHS’s efforts among best practices for implementing 

federal strategic sourcing initiatives, and we have also reported on DHS’s 

strategic sourcing initiatives.6

DHS procures ammunition using two types of contracts—strategic 

sourcing and individual contracts. The decision of whether to use a 

strategic sourcing contract is driven by collective component needs, 

according to DHS officials. That is, if more than one component needs a 

specific type of ammunition, then that ammunition procurement is a 

candidate for strategic sourcing. Most of DHS’s ammunition contracts, 

whether strategically sourced or individual contracts, are indefinite 

 4

Commonly used firearms and ammunition refer to the firearms issued and largest 

amounts of ammunition purchased by the components in our review.

5

DHS defines strategic sourcing as a structured process of analyzing DHS spending and 

using a collaborative approach to make business decisions about acquiring and managing 

commodities and services more effectively and efficiently across multiple components or 

the entire department.

6

Among other things, we reported that DHS had the most initiatives and had the highest 

percentage of spending through strategic sourcing of the four selected agencies we 

reviewed. GAO, Strategic Sourcing: Improved and Expanded Use Could Save Billions in 

Annual Procurement Costs, GAO-12-919 (Washington, D.C., Sept. 20, 2012).

DHS Procurement of 

Ammunition
Page 8 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts, which are typically 

negotiated for a base year with additional options for purchasing 

ammunition up to a certain maximum number of rounds, or contract 

ceiling. These IDIQ contracts allow components to lock in the price, 

specifications, delivery costs, and other requirements and then place 

purchase orders throughout the negotiated time frame of the contract 

(e.g., indefinite delivery) for varying quantities as needed (e.g., indefinite 

quantity), rather than placing a single order for large amounts of 

ammunition. DHS orders based on the contracts as needed and pays for 

the ammunition on delivery. DHS is required to buy only a minimum that 

represents about 1 month of the projected DHS requirement, according to 

DHS officials.

In August 2012, DHS began requiring components to use strategic 

sourcing contract vehicles for procurements, including ammunition, 

unless procurements met certain exceptions, such as specialized types of 

ammunition not commonly used across components or ammunition 

requiring certain technical specifications.7 Ammunition that is either not 

commonly used or has specifications needed by a single component can 

be acquired through individual component contracts according to DHS 

officials. Within the DHS Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, the 

Strategic Sourcing Program Office helps components develop, 

implement, and maintain sourcing strategies to enhance acquisition 

efficiency. According to DHS officials, the strategic sourcing process for 

procuring ammunition for multiple components has saved an estimated 

$2 million since fiscal year 2008.8

Given the number of law enforcement and security personnel across the 

department, DHS established the Weapons and Ammunition Commodity 

Council (WACC) in October 2003 to consolidate weapons, ammunition, 

and other enforcement equipment requirements. While DHS components 

are responsible for determining their own ammunition requirements and 

needs, WACC is to serve as the coordinating mechanism for DHS 

components’ ammunition and weapons procurements. Rather than have 

See appendix III for a complete list of 

all active DHS ammunition contracts, as of October 2013.

 7

Prior to August 2012, strategic sourcing contract vehicle use was encouraged by DHS, 

but not required.

8

DHS estimated savings based on past government orders and open market pricing when 

available. Starting in fiscal year 2013, DHS officials said that DHS strategic sourcing 

contracts will calculate savings based on market research and past government orders 

now that information is more readily available.
Page 9 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

each component procure ammunition and weapons individually or draw 

exclusively on its own history for best practices, the members of WACC, 

as shown in figure 1, are to meet monthly to explore ways to maximize 

procurement savings, according to DHS officials. According to DHS 

officials, to further coordinate ammunition and weapons procurements, 

DHS is exploring the feasibility of broadening the scope of WACC to also 

track and approve ammunition purchases across the department. As of 

October 2013, DHS said these plans are in the development stage.

Figure 1: Members and Goals of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Weapons and Ammunition Commodity 

Council

DHS’s Office of the Chief Readiness Support Officer, within the 

Management Directorate, is responsible for department-wide asset 

management. Within each component, property management officers or 

firearm program managers are responsible for the component’s firearm 

program, including ammunition. In general, component firearm instructors 

or firearms and weapons custodians are responsible for maintaining 

DHS Organizational 

Responsibilities for 

Firearm and Ammunition 

Inventory Management
Page 10 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

oversight for the shipment, receipt, issuance and periodic inventory of 

firearms and ammunition. At the headquarters level, the DHS Assistant 

Deputy for Mobile Assets and Personal Property has overall responsibility 

for the oversight and management of DHS firearm assets. This includes 

ensuring that components have an approved firearm asset management 

system of record and documented firearm accountability policies and 

procedures. The Chief Readiness Support Officer disseminates DHS’s 

asset management program requirements, provides oversight of the 

program, and sets department policy. The DHS Office of the Chief 

Readiness Support Officer’s Sensitive Asset Manager’s responsibilities 

include evaluating, auditing, and assessing component-level firearm asset 

management systems of record and accountability programs to ensure 

compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and directives, and working 

with components to develop standard and uniform DHS-wide firearms 

accountability policies and guidelines.

In fiscal year 2013, DHS purchased 84 million rounds of ammunition for 

its authorized firearm-carrying workforce, which is less than DHS’s 

ammunition purchases each year over the past 5 fiscal years. DHS 

ammunition purchases are driven primarily by the firearms training and 

qualification requirements for the firearm-carrying workforce, though other 

factors are also considered by DHS when making ammunition purchase 

decisions.9 For selected DOJ components, for fiscal years 2011 through 

2013, the average number of rounds of ammunition purchased per 

authorized firearm-carrying personnel per year was comparable to that for 

DHS law enforcement components.10 All DOJ components in our review 

identified similar considerations in determining their annual ammunition 

requirements.

 9

Qualification training involves the safe handling, proficient application, and justifiable use 

of firearms to help ensure a law enforcement officer’s ability to safely handle required 

weapons.

10The selected DOJ components are FBI, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service. Data on DOJ 

ammunition purchases prior to fiscal year 2011 were not readily available; therefore, we 

included fiscal years 2011 through 2013.

DHS’s Ammunition 

Purchases Have 

Declined in Recent 

Years and Vary 

Based on Numerous 

Factors; Annual 

Ammunition 

Purchases are 

Comparable to DOJ’s
Page 11 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

From fiscal year 2008 through fiscal year 2013, DHS purchased an 

average of 109 million rounds of ammunition per year. Yearly purchases 

ranged from a high of 133 million rounds in fiscal year 2009 to a low of 84 

million rounds in fiscal year 2013. In comparison, the total consumer 

ammunition market for 2012 was approximately 9.5 billion rounds, 

according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.11 DHS’s 

ammunition purchases over the 6-year period equate to an average of 

1,200 rounds of ammunition purchased per agent or officer per year.12

In fiscal year 2013, DHS purchased 84 million rounds of ammunition for 

its authorized firearm-carrying workforce, equaling an average of 900 

rounds per agent or officer that year, and a total annual cost of $19 

million. According to senior DHS officials, the decline in ammunition 

purchases in fiscal year 2013 is the result of budget constraints, reduced 

training, and in one case the expiration of an ammunition contract. These 

officials said that although ammunition purchases declined in fiscal year 

2013, DHS components relied on their ammunition inventories to maintain 

basic qualification and operational needs. In fiscal year 2014, DHS plans 

to purchase about 75 million rounds of ammunition (see fig. 2). According 

to DHS contract data as of October 1, 2013, the 29 existing DHS 

ammunition contracts extend over the next 4 fiscal years and have a 

remaining contract limit of approximately 704 million rounds (for various 

ammunition types), if every option for purchasing ammunition were 

exercised into fiscal year 2018. The total contract dollar ceiling on these 

29 active contracts is about $285 million. The approximately 704 million 

rounds of ammunition represent the limit on the combined active 

contracts, against which orders from the manufacturers may be placed 

over the next several fiscal years. See appendix III for a complete list of 

all active DHS ammunition contracts, as of October 1, 2013.

The annual total cost for these ammunition purchases ranged from $19 

million to $34 million per year, with an average of $29 million for the 6-

year time period.

 11The National Shooting Sports Foundation is a trade association for the firearms industry, 

representing more than 8,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting 

ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers.

12We excluded FLETC from our per officer analysis because FLETC has few firearmcarrying officers for which it purchases ammunition. Ammunition purchased by FLETC is 

utilized by all students who train on firearms at its facilities, including DHS and other 

federal law enforcement personnel, as well as state, local, tribal, and international law 

enforcement personnel.

DHS’s Ammunition 

Purchases Have 

Decreased since Fiscal 

Year 2009 and Vary by 

Component
Page 12 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Figure 2: Total Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Ammunition Purchases for 

Components in Our Review from Fiscal Years 2008 through 2013

Although the amounts of DHS’s overall ammunition purchases have fallen 

since fiscal year 2009, the yearly changes in the amount of ammunition 

purchased by its component agencies have varied, as shown in figure 3. 

CBP—which has the most firearm-carrying personnel of the DHS 

components—purchased the largest amount of ammunition, on average, 

from fiscal year 2008 through 2013, accounting for approximately 46 

percent of DHS’s average purchases of ammunition for this time period. 

The average amount of ammunition purchased by components from fiscal 

years 2008 through 2013 ranged from approximately 50 million rounds of 

ammunition for CBP to a low of approximately 1.9 million rounds of 

ammunition for FPS.13

 13FPS ammunition data represent ammunition purchases for the federal FPS workforce, 

not the contracted guard staff. FPS does not provide ammunition for its approximately 

13,500 contracted guard staff.
Page 13 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Figure 3: Number of Rounds of Ammunition Purchased, by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Component in Our 

Review, from Fiscal Years 2008 through 2013

A number of factors contribute to variation in ammunition purchases from 

year to year by component, such as changes in the size of the firearmcarrying workforce. For example, CBP and ICE increased their firearmcarrying workforces in fiscal years 2008 and 2009, which also increased 

ammunition needs for those components, as new hires needed to be 

trained to gain firearms proficiency prior to entering the field for duty. 

According to CBP data, new Border Patrol agents each use 

approximately 3,300 rounds during training and qualification, compared 

with experienced officers who might use about 600 rounds. DHS 

components provided data on the amount of ammunition typically used by 

a new law enforcement hire, which ranged from 2,000 to 5,000 rounds. 

From fiscal years 2008 through 2013, the DHS components in our review 

trained thousands of new law enforcement agents and officers, according 
Page 14 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

to DHS data. Other factors that account for changes in ammunition 

purchases year to year include qualification and training requirements 

and amount of ammunition in inventory, as discussed later in this report. 

In addition, it is important to note that components purchase ammunition 

throughout the year, and orders placed in 1 fiscal year might not arrive or 

be used until future years, which can also contribute to variation in 

purchases from year to year.

The amount of ammunition each component purchases for its firearmcarrying personnel also varies. We analyzed DHS data on ammunition 

purchases and the size of the firearm-carrying workforce for fiscal years 

2008 through 2013 and found the average number of rounds of 

ammunition purchased per year per firearm-carrying agent or officer by 

component for this time period ranged between approximately 1,000 and 

2,000 rounds, as shown in table 2. This variation exists because each 

component independently decides, based on its operational needs, how 

much ammunition to allocate to its firearm-carrying personnel for training 

and qualification each year. For example, FPS provides each officer 250 

rounds per quarter per handgun for firearm qualification, while ICE 

provides 100 rounds per quarter per handgun for firearm qualification.

Table 2: Annual Average Number of Rounds of Ammunition Purchased, per 

Firearm-Carrying Agent or Officer, by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Law 

Enforcement Component in Our Review, Fiscal Years 2008-2013 

Department of Homeland 

Security component

Annual average number of rounds of ammunition 

purchased per agent or officer, fiscal years 2008-

2013

U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection

1,200

Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement

1,700

U.S. Secret Service 1,000

Transportation Security 

Administration (TSA)

a

Federal Protective Service (FPS) 2,000 b

Source: GAO analysis based on DHS data.

Notes:Table 2 does not include rounds of ammunition purchased by Federal Law Enforcement 

Training Centers (FLETC) for training of law enforcement officers. While DHS law enforcement 

officers take training at FLETC, the numbers in table 2 reflect only those rounds of ammunition 

purchased by components for their officers.

a

The annual average number of ammunition rounds purchased per TSA firearm-carrying officer is 

considered sensitive security information and is not included in table 2.

b

FPS ammunition data represents ammunition purchases for the federal workforce, not the contracted 

guard staff. FPS does not purchase ammunition for its approximately 13,500 contracted guard staff.
Page 15 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

When determining annual ammunition requirements, the primary 

consideration for DHS components is the amount of ammunition needed 

to support the training and qualification of the firearm-carrying workforce, 

according to DHS officials. Training and qualification requirements vary 

for the components in our review, as do the number of rounds of 

ammunition typically used for training and qualification purposes. 

However, for all the components in our review, most firearm-carrying 

personnel are required to qualify four times per year on their issued 

firearms. We analyzed available data on DHS’s ammunition requirements 

for the 6-year period from fiscal years 2008 through 2013. We found that 

the ammunition purchased by the components was reasonable given their 

annual expected training and operational needs.14

DHS’s more than 70,000 firearm-carrying personnel have qualification 

requirements they must fulfill to ensure firearms proficiency. Failure to 

qualify on firearms may result in the denial, suspension or revocation of 

credentials to carry firearms.15

 14To conduct this analysis, we estimated how much ammunition DHS components might 

be expected to use in a given year by considering the size of the firearm-carrying 

workforce, the number of agents qualified on how many types of firearms, and the amount 

of ammunition typically allotted for each firearm qualification by component. For more 

information on our methodology, see appendix I.

Depending on how rigorous a component’s 

qualification requirements are and how many firearms an officer is 

authorized to carry, each DHS component may require a larger or smaller 

supply of ammunition to conduct its qualifications. Officers generally carry 

one or more firearms and must qualify on each firearm they carry. For 

example, a component may allow an officer to carry a personally owned 

firearm in addition to his or her duty-issued firearm, and the officer must 

qualify on both weapons, using ammunition provided by the relevant DHS 

component. DHS law enforcement officers across the department are 

typically required to perform quarterly firearms qualifications on their 

issued weapons (e.g., handgun), and in some cases demonstrate 

familiarity and proficiency on long guns, such as rifles and shotguns, even 

15Demonstrating proficiency may include displaying proper handling techniques and 

dexterity, such as holstering, loading, unloading, and operating the firearm; shooting with 

the left and right hands; demonstrating safely handling firearms and ammunition; 

achieving at least a minimum numerical score on courses of fire from varying distances 

from the target; and completing advanced firearms training exercises, among other 

requirements.

Training and Qualification 

Are the Biggest Drivers of 

DHS’s Ammunition 

Purchase Decisions; Few 

Rounds Are Actually Fired 

in the Line of Duty

DHS Qualification and Training 

Requirements
Page 16 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

if they are not required to carry a long gun as part of their duties.16 For 

some officers, depending on the DHS component and the requirements of 

their unit, more frequent qualifications or advanced firearms training is

required. For example, advanced firearms training may include “down and 

disabled” firearms training or reduced light firearms training, among 

others.17

Along with the other five DHS components, FLETC’s purchases of 

ammunition are to support the training of law enforcement officials to help 

them fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently. From fiscal year 

2008 through 2013, FLETC has trained over 398,000 federal, state, local, 

tribal, and international law enforcement personnel, according to FLETC 

data—approximately 66,000 on average per year. FLETC provides the 

ammunition for the training courses provided to these law enforcement 

officers. FLETC officials said they determine their annual ammunition 

requirements based on the projected number of classes, students, and 

DHS components also may have specialized units, such as 

tactical teams, that may require hundreds or thousands of rounds of 

ammunition during training activities. For example, CBP’s Border Patrol 

Tactical Unit and Special Response Team—which enhance field 

operations with specialized tactics and techniques—use specialized 

firearms that are not otherwise issued to other CBP firearm-carrying staff. 

Officers in these teams are required to qualify on these additional 

specialized weapons, and can use more ammunition during training 

activities, according to CBP officials.

 16CBP, ICE, FPS, TSA’s FAMS, and USSS firearm-carrying personnel are required to 

qualify on firearms at least four times per year. TSA’s FFDOs are required to qualify two 

times per year on handguns.

17“Down and disabled” firearms training is intended to ensure proficiency even after an 

officer has been wounded during an event requiring use of force.
Page 17 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

ammunition needs per class.18

An officer’s training and proficiency on issued firearms help to ensure the 

safety of the officer and the public, should the officer require the use of 

deadly force in the line of duty. Following firearms qualification, DHS’s 

more than 70,000 firearm-carrying personnel are issued ammunition to 

carry while on duty.

According to FLETC officials, fluctuations 

in FLETC’s ammunition needs occur throughout the year, as a result of 

canceled classes, added classes, and varying numbers of students.

19 Although these officers are required by DHS to 

carry ammunition for their firearms, very few rounds of ammunition are 

actually fired in the line of duty.20 According to DHS data, from fiscal year 

2008 through fiscal year 2012, all DHS components reported firing a total 

of 862 rounds of ammunition in the line of duty.21

 18According to component officials from FLETC, USSS, and ICE, these components have 

explored the use of simulation technology to support law enforcement training needs. 

Simulated firearms training technology may provide benefits to law enforcement personnel 

during basic marksmanship training. For example, simulation training with laser-fired 

firearms could allow instructors to carry on normal conversations while instructing students 

in the proper stance, grip, sight alignment, and trigger control, since hearing protection 

would not be necessary. Also, instructors could get closer to students to see errors in 

weapon handling, especially with respect to grip and trigger press, that could not have 

normally been seen with live fire weapons. Other potential benefits of using simulators are 

reduced ammunition usage and range maintenance costs. FLETC’s annual recurring 

costs for simulators are $73,000 per year. However, component officials have also raised 

concerns about the need for officers to train on live fire firearms to gain full proficiency on 

their weapons, since simulation training does not currently accurately replicate recoil on 

firearms. Component officials have also said that while there would be reduced need for 

ammunition, the simulator technology would also require regular maintenance and 

upgrades, which would also come with a cost.

In fiscal year 2013, all 

19DHS components generally use the same type of ammunition for training and 

qualification as they use for duty (operational use). According to DHS, this is because 

delivering and storing different types of ammunition for training and operational use 

creates complex logistical challenges, and could create an officer safety issue if the wrong 

ammunition is used in the field. FLETC primarily uses Reduced Hazard Training 

Ammunition, which is free of lead and other toxic substances, in its firearms training 

curriculum.

20The number of rounds carried by an officer or agent on duty varies by factors such as 

DHS component, firearm type, and number of firearms, among other factors.

21According to CBP, it did not have data on ammunition fired on duty for fiscal years 2008 

and 2009 because prior to January 1, 2010, CBP did not require reporting the number of 

rounds fired for officer-involved shootings. After January 1, 2010, CBP began recording all 

use of force incidents in the CBP Use of Force Reporting System, which required more 

detailed information regarding incidents. Because CBP data prior to January 2010 may 

not account for all rounds fired, fiscal years 2008 and 2009 were not included in CBP’s 

responses.

DHS Data Show Few Rounds 

of Ammunition Fired by 

Officers in the Line of Duty
Page 18 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

DHS components reported a combined total of 331 rounds of ammunition 

fired in the course of their duties compared with their total combined 

ammunition purchases of over 84 million rounds for that year.22

In addition to citing training and qualification requirements, senior DHS 

officials cited delivery and quality issues with ammunition, changes in 

firearms, historical usage rates, and the amount of ammunition currently 

in inventory as other factors they consider when making ammunition 

purchase decisions.

Delivery and ammunition quality issues: Senior DHS component 

officials told us that another factor they consider when determining 

ammunition requirements is the time lag due to the ammunition delivery 

and quality testing process. Officials from all DHS components within our 

review reported time lags between placing orders for ammunition and 

receiving them. For example, the time lag can range from 3 to 18 months. 

Senior DHS component officials said that the Department of Defense gets 

first priority for ammunition orders from manufacturers, and supplying the 

military can delay orders for DHS and other federal law enforcement 

agencies, not only because of military priority, but also because 

production of other types of ammunition may be halted while 

manufacturers work to produce the ammunition needed by the 

Department of Defense. These officials also stated that while the 

ammunition they purchase comes from the same manufacturers that 

provide ammunition for commercial supply, the ammunition DHS 

purchases is manufactured according to DHS contract specifications, and 

is higher quality than commercial off-the-shelf ammunition. Senior 

component officials said they take this into account when determining 

how much and when to order ammunition, including when ammunition 

inventories need to be replenished. While awaiting delivery of ordered 

ammunition, DHS components reported using their existing ammunition 

inventories to meet mission requirements, such as for training and 

qualification.

Ammunition quality and testing are also factors in developing annual

ammunition requirements for DHS. Components, such as USSS, ICE, 

and FLETC, have testing facilities to help ensure the ammunition ordered 

meets the specifications outlined in contracts with manufacturers. For 

 22These totals may include rounds that were accidently discharged.

Additional Factors That 

Affect Ammunition 

Purchase Decisions
Page 19 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

example, ICE’s National Firearms Tactical and Training Unit (NFTTU)—

which purchases ammunition on behalf of ICE, CBP, and FPS, and 

provides technical assistance to TSA—operates a ballistics laboratory for 

the testing of ammunition, among other purposes. This unit conducts 

quality tests on a sample of each ammunition order before approving the 

acceptance and distribution of the total ammunition order.23

Changes in firearms and ammunition types: Another factor 

components consider when developing their annual ammunition 

requirements is changes in the types of firearms and ammunition used by 

components, according to senior DHS officials. When these changes 

occur, additional ammunition is required to ensure officers’ proficiency on 

the new firearm or ammunition. For example, in August 2011, ICE 

management made changes to the types of authorized weapons officers 

could carry as their primary weapon—expanding the list of authorized 9 

millimeter (mm) firearms. Prior to this change, the standard duty firearm 

was a .40 caliber firearm. After authorizing more 9 mm firearms, ICE 

experienced a 60 percent increase in the amount of 9 mm ammunition 

consumed, according to ICE, which resulted in ICE’s inventory of 9 mm 

ammunition to be depleted. According to ICE officials, ICE needed to 

amend the existing contract for 9 mm ammunition to allow for additional 

purchases of ammunition to ensure officers who chose to use those 9 mm 

firearms had sufficient ammunition for firearms qualification and 

operations. As this change came at the end of fiscal year 2011, 

purchases increased in fiscal year 2012, as previously shown in figure 3.

According to 

the Assistant Director of ICE’s NFTTU, if the ammunition tested does not 

meet NFTTU’s quality standards, the batch is returned to the 

manufacturer and the total order is not accepted and approved until the 

ammunition meets standards. According to NFTTU data, this has 

occurred 17 times from fiscal year 2009 through fiscal year 2013, 

representing 3 percent of total tested batches.

Historical usage rates: Historical usage rates—that is, the amount of 

ammunition used in previous years—is also a factor components consider 

to determine how much ammunition to purchase, according to senior 

DHS component officials. DHS component officials told us they estimate 

how much ammunition they have used by reviewing how much 

 23NFTTU assists ICE by providing personnel with firearms, intermediate force weapons, 

protective equipment, training, guidance, as well as tactical and logistical support. The 

unit’s mission is to increase safety and improve the tactical proficiency of the armed 

workforce while maintaining accountability for property. 
Page 20 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

ammunition they purchased in previous years, the number of authorized 

firearm-carrying personnel, and related training and qualification 

requirements.24

Figure 4: Estimated Ammunition Used by the Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS) Components in Our Review from Fiscal Years 2008 through 2013

According to our analysis of estimated ammunition usage 

data provided by DHS components, for fiscal years 2008 through 2013, 

DHS components in our review estimated using, on average, 

approximately 110 million rounds of ammunition per fiscal year, with a 

high of about 141 million rounds in fiscal year 2009 to a low of about 89

million rounds in fiscal year 2013 (see figure 4).

 24Components do not centrally track historical ammunition usage rates, in large part 

because their data management systems are not designed to track ammunition usage. As 

of 2013, the database used by ICE, CBP, and FPS—Firearms, Armor, and Credentials 

Tracking System (FACTS)—had the ability to track ammunition primarily through the order 

and receipt process, and ammunition usage was tracked, sometimes manually, at the field 

level before balances were updated in FACTS. According to ICE officials, ICE and CBP 

are working to enhance the ability of the ammunition module within FACTS to develop a 

more accurate accounting ability that is to allow for precise tracking of ammunition usage 

at the headquarters level. According to ICE, the enhanced module is planned to be 

deployed by January 2014. We determined these data were sufficiently reliable to report 

general trends in usage when rounded to the hundred thousands.
Page 21 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Ammunition inventory: The amount of ammunition components have in 

inventory is also a factor to determine how much and when to order more 

ammunition, according to DHS component officials. DHS components 

determine how much ammunition to keep in inventory, and when to 

replenish ammunition inventories. The six DHS components in our review 

stated they strive to maintain about 12 to 24 months’ of ammunition 

inventory to meet the training, qualification, and operational ammunition 

needs of firearm-carrying personnel. As stated earlier, there can be 

months-long delays between placing an order for ammunition and 

receiving it. To help ensure components have sufficient ammunition on 

hand to support the training and operational needs of their officers, DHS 

components maintain inventories of ammunition. For example, TSA 

officials said they try to keep a large ammunition inventory on hand, 

because the FFDOs (trained and armed pilots) are allowed to provide as 

little as 24 hours notice to perform their qualification, based on their 

fluctuating schedules.

Ammunition is stored in limited supply in the field offices of the various 

components, as DHS component officials have said there is limited 

storage for ammunition in the field. Officials added that while ammunition 

is typically shipped directly from the manufacturers to the field offices that 

placed the orders, there are occasions when production delays require 

components to ship ammunition from their reserves stored in armories to 

resupply the field. It is important to note that inventory levels reflect a 

point in time and that inventory fluctuates throughout the year as 

ammunition orders arrive from manufacturers and ammunition is used for 

firearms qualification and other purposes in the field. Therefore, it is not 

possible to provide an average ammunition inventory for a year or past 

years, because the inventory is constantly fluctuating. Table 3 shows how 

much ammunition DHS components had in inventory (in both estimated 

rounds and approximate number of months’ supply) at three different 

points in time between November 2012 and October 2013, as reported to 

us by DHS components. We provide these estimates at three points in 

time to show, by component, how ammunition inventory fluctuates over 

the course of 1 year.
Page 22 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Table 3: Selected Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Components’ Estimated Ammunition Inventory by Total Rounds 

and by the Number of Months’ Supply at Three Points in Time Over 1 Year

DHS component

Estimated rounds in inventory, 

November 2012

Estimated rounds in 

inventory, April 2013

Estimated rounds in inventory, 

October 2013

U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection

94 million (32 months) 94 million (33 months) 72 million (25 months)

Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement

42 million (21 months) 29 million (14 months) 40 million (20 months)

Secret Service 6 million (17 months) 6 million (18 months) 7 million (21 months)

Transportation Security 

Administrationa 30 million 27 million 14 million 

Federal Protective Service 3 million (15 months) 3 million (16 months) 3 million (17 months)

Federal Law Enforcement 

Training Centers

19 million (18 months) 17 million (16 months) 23 million (21 months)

DHS total 193 million (26 months) 178 million (24 months) 159 million (22 months)

Source: GAO analysis of DHS data.

Notes: To determine approximate number of months’ supply of ammunition in inventory for each 

component, we used fiscal year 2013 estimated ammunition usage data provided by DHS 

components and divided that number by 12 to get an estimate of monthly ammunition usage. We 

then divided the components’ inventory figures by the monthly ammunition usage estimate to get 

estimated months’ worth in inventory for those three points in time. For more information on our 

analysis, see appendix I.

In 2013, CBP and TSA made changes to their inventory reporting protocols, which officials said can 

explain the changes in inventory between the dates.

DHS components’ records may not always reflect the exact quantities of the ammunition inventory at 

a given time. For example, because inventory data may not be updated in real time, quantities of 

ammunition actually available and those reflected on the inventory records may differ. To assess the 

reliability of these data, we reviewed the extent to which the agencies have procedures and controls 

for ensuring that the data are consistent and accurate, and interviewed knowledgeable officials 

responsible for collecting and reporting the data. We determined the data to be sufficiently reliable to 

be reported rounded to the millions. To maintain an acceptable level of accuracy in inventory records, 

DHS officials said that DHS and the components have established inventory control policies and 

procedures, including taking physical inventories and conducting audits to verify ammunition 

balances, as discussed later in this report.

a

The approximate number of months’ supply for TSA is considered sensitive security information and 

is not included in table 3.

Each component is responsible for maintaining and recording its own 

ammunition inventory, and, according to senior DHS component officials, 

ammunition balances may not always be up to date and generally are 

estimates. For example, a field location may show more ammunition in 

inventory than other field offices, but that could reflect that the officers 

have not yet completed a quarterly firearms qualification or the inventory 

tracking system has not yet been updated to reflect changes. In addition, 

components may also consider ammunition that has been ordered, but 

not yet arrived, to be part of their “current” inventory. For example, TSA 

reported an inventory level of almost 30 million rounds in November 2012, 
Page 23 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

but TSA officials said that number included ammunition orders that had 

been placed with the manufacturer, but were not yet in physical inventory. 

According to TSA, the quantity of ammunition in TSA’s physical 

possession at the time of the inquiry was approximately 19 million rounds.

Similar to DHS, the DOJ components in our review also purchase 

ammunition to ensure their personnel authorized to carry firearms are 

equipped to carry out their various law enforcement missions. For the 

three DOJ components in our review, ammunition purchases are driven 

primarily by the firearms training and qualification requirements for their 

firearm-carrying workforce. According to DOJ data, DOJ component 

firearm qualification requirements range from semi-annual to quarterly, 

depending on the component; however, most require quarterly firearms 

qualification on an officer’s primary weapon. As shown in table 4, the 

approximate number of rounds of ammunition purchased per firearmcarrying agent or officer for the three DOJ law enforcement agencies in 

our review for fiscal years 2011 through 2013 were similar to the amounts 

for DHS components in our review.25

Table 4: Approximate Number of Rounds of Ammunition Purchased per Agent or 

Officer for the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice 

Components in Our Review for Fiscal Years 2011 through 2013 

2011 2012 2013

Number of rounds purchased per agent or officer at the 

Department of Homeland Security

1,100 1,200 900

Number of rounds purchased per agent or officer at the 

Department of Justice

1,400 1,300 1,200

Source: GAO analysis of Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice data.

For DOJ components, the average number of rounds of ammunition 

purchased per authorized firearm-carrying agent or officer per year 

across fiscal years 2011 through 2013 was approximately 1,300 rounds. 

 25We used data from fiscal years 2011 through 2013, because those years represent the 

most readily available data for DOJ components within our review—FBI, ATF, and the 

U.S. Marshals Service. The data from ATF included an estimated number of task force 

officers per year, so the approximate number of rounds for a DOJ officer could be higher 

or lower depending on the actual number of task force officers who trained with ATF 

during those 3 years. A task force officer is a sworn state, county or local law enforcement 

officer who is formally assigned, on a full-time basis, to an ATF task force. For a full 

description of our methodology, see appendix I.

DOJ Components Cited 

Similar Factors in 

Determining Ammunition 

Requirements for 

Personnel Authorized to 

Carry Firearms and 

Annual Ammunition 

Purchases are 

Comparable to Those of 

DHS
Page 24 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

For DHS, the average number of rounds of ammunition purchased per 

authorized firearm-carrying agent or officer per year for fiscal years 2011 

through 2013 was approximately 1,000 rounds.

Senior DOJ officials also reported similar considerations when making 

ammunition purchases, such as ammunition delivery lead time, quality 

issues, and the amount of ammunition in inventory. As with DHS officials, 

DOJ officials reported that the type of ammunition they use is 

manufactured to a higher standard than ammunition purchased by the 

civilian market and is not considered off-the-shelf. According to DOJ 

component officials, the ammunition purchased by DOJ is produced after 

an order is placed with a manufacturer, and the time between placing an 

order and receiving it can be several months. Quality testing of 

ammunition is also part of DOJ components’ procurement process, to 

help ensure ammunition performs as expected in the field. Additionally, 

DOJ components also consider the amount of inventory on hand when 

determining ammunition requirements. According to officials from the 

DOJ components in our review, the amount of inventory components try 

to maintain ranged from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 24 

months. Ammunition inventory data provided by two of the three DOJ 

components indicated that inventory ranged from about 13 months’ worth 

to about 20 months’ worth.26 This range is similar to the range reported by 

DHS components.

 26The FBI provided inventory data as of January 30, 2013. ATF provided inventory data as 

of May 1, 2013. The U.S. Marshals Service was unable to provide current on-hand 

inventory data during the time allotted to respond during this review, citing its 

decentralized system of recording ammunition data. 

DHS Has Policies 

and Guidance for 

Firearms and 

Ammunition Inventory 

Management
Page 25 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Each of the DHS components in our review has policies, procedures, and 

processes that describe the requirements and guidance necessary to 

ensure inventory management, control and accountability for firearms and 

ammunition.27

In 2010, the DHS Inspector General reported that the department’s 

management and oversight of components’ safeguards and controls over 

firearms were not effective, because DHS did not have specific firearms 

policies and procedures in place.

These policies include describing who is responsible and 

accountable for firearms and ammunition, tracking and accounting for 

firearms and ammunition throughout their life cycles, and periodically 

conducting physical inventories to verify the existence and location of the 

firearms and ammunition recorded in the accountability records. For 

example, FLETC requires the firearms and weapons custodian to perform 

a daily audit of all ammunition issues and receipts occurring at specified 

issue points. TSA requires supervisors to conduct unannounced 

employee firearm inspections and recommends that TSA offices conduct 

random, selective, periodic, or unannounced internal audits to ensure 

proper inventory controls and accountability. In addition, ICE, CBP, and 

FPS use an automated system called Firearms, Armor, and Credentials 

Tracking System (FACTS) to provide visibility of and oversight over their 

firearms inventories. We did not assess if the components’ policies, 

procedures, and process for managing their firearms and ammunition 

inventories were working as intended.

28

 27In addition to issuing guidance on inventory management related to firearms and 

ammunition, DHS has issued guidance that components are to follow regarding the 

procurement of firearms and ammunition, as well as for other supplies and services. In 

addition to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the primary regulation for use by all federal 

executive agencies in their acquisition of supplies and services with appropriated funds, 

DHS and its components are guided by the Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation and 

the Homeland Security Acquisition Manual, which are the primary DHS policies for the 

procurement of ammunition and firearms.

The report noted that DHS relied on 

components to modify existing policies and procedures with specific 

guidance for controlling firearms, but component personnel did not always 

follow component policies, resulting in a loss of firearms. Further, 

according to that report, DHS did not require independent third parties to 

conduct annual firearm inventories to ensure that components were 

accountable for firearms. Consequently, the DHS Inspector General 

28Department of Homeland Security Inspector General, DHS Controls over Firearms, OIG10-41, (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 25, 2010).

DHS Components Have 

Inventory Management 

Policies and Procedures 

and Are in the Process of 

Implementing Revised 

DHS Firearms Asset 

Policy
Page 26 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

report recommended, among other things, that DHS develop departmentwide policies and procedures for safeguarding and controlling firearms.29

In response to the findings and recommendations of the report, in 2012 

DHS issued the DHS Firearm Asset Policy (firearm policy) to govern the 

components’ management of firearms, including inventory management 

requirements. According to the firearm policy, components are 

responsible for developing their own controls and for overall management 

of their respective firearms programs, which includes adhering to DHS 

requirements for firearms management. The components are to integrate 

the firearm policy into their operations during fiscal year 2013, with a 

planned full implementation by the end of fiscal year 2014. Among other 

things, DHS’s firearms policy requires five specific inventory control 

measures, noted below:

• Establish policies and guidance: Components are responsible for 

establishing policies and guidelines to ensure that the firearm asset 

management system of record is updated throughout the asset life

cycle to document all transactions and events.

• Conduct annual physical inventory: The component’s property 

management officer or firearm program manager is to ensure that the 

component’s inventory plan incorporates an annual physical inventory 

for all firearms. For internal control purposes, there are to be at least 

two individuals conducting a firearm physical inventory. Data on every 

firearm shall be recorded and maintained in the firearm asset 

management system of record.30

• Conduct independent third party audits: Components or DHS’s 

Chief Readiness Support Officer’s Office are to engage independent 

third parties to conduct an annual audit of at least 15 percent of their 

firearm inventory.

 29Specifically, the DHS Inspector General recommended that those policies and 

procedures include requirements for properly securing firearms, timelines for recording 

acceptances and transfers in the inventory system, requirements for reporting lost 

firearms, and inventory procedures that include having an independent third party observe 

annual inventories. OIG-10-41.

30A firearm record shall, at a minimum, contain authorized asset user, organization code, 

manufacturer, model number, serial number, type of firearm, acquisition date, acquisition 

cost, date of receipt, and location.
Page 27 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

• Ensure inventory accuracy: Supervisors are to conduct 

unannounced inventory verifications to ensure accuracy of firearms 

inventory.

• Verify issued firearms: In addition to an annual physical inventory, 

each component’s property management officers or firearm program 

managers are to ensure quarterly firearm inventory verifications are 

conducted for all firearms issued.31

For the six DHS components in our review, we found that each of the 

components established policies and guidelines to manage firearms 

assets, and some of the components were already implementing aspects 

of the new firearm policy.32 For example, all six components’ policies 

require that they conduct a complete annual physical inventory of all 

firearms. Two of the components’ policies require them to engage an 

independent third party to conduct an annual audit of at least 15 percent 

of their firearm inventories. In addition, three of the six components have 

procedures in place to ensure quarterly firearm inventory verifications are 

conducted for all firearms issued. DHS officials said that components are 

not expected to address all of the requirements in the DHS firearm policy 

until the end of fiscal year 2014. Therefore, it is too early to know if 

components will meet all of the requirements within this time frame. 

Component officials we spoke with said that the implementation time 

frame may require additional time to work through the feasibility of certain 

requirements. For example, ICE officials noted that components with 

collective bargaining units, such as CBP and ICE, for example, would 

need agreement by the collective bargaining unit representing a 

component’s law enforcement personnel before certain aspects of the 

new firearm policy can be implemented.

 31A quarterly verification involves verifying a firearm issued to an officer matches the 

firearm serial number in the component’s records. Components may conduct the 

verification during quarterly firearms qualifications.

32We reviewed the firearm policy manuals or related documentation from CBP, FLETC, 

FPS, ICE, TSA, and USSS to determine whether the manuals specifically addressed the 

five firearm inventory management requirements identified in the DHS directive. We also 

interviewed component firearms management officials to discuss their firearms inventory 

management practices. 
Page 28 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

DHS issued a manual in 2013 on personal property asset management 

that provides a general description of controls for managing property, 

including ammunition, which is considered a sensitive asset requiring 

certain controls.33

Officials from five of the six components reported that they do conduct 

physical inventories of their ammunition at least annually. For example, 

FLETC officials reported that personnel conduct an annual inventory in 

which they are to reconcile ammunition with control records through a 

dual verification process to ensure accuracy by performing a physical and 

visual verification. One component—ICE—reported that it does not 

conduct a distinct physical inventory of ammunition (that is, at one point in 

time reconcile ammunition on hand with ammunition expected to be in 

inventory). However, ICE officials stated that ammunition inventories are 

conducted by ICE field-level officials at various times during the year for 

determination of needs.

Specifically, with respect to inventory management of 

ammunition, the DHS manual requires that ammunition be physically 

inventoried at least annually. In accordance with the DHS property 

management manual, DHS relies on the components to establish specific 

policies and procedures for managing, safeguarding, and controlling their 

ammunition inventories. We found that all six DHS components in our 

review have policies and procedures for managing their ammunition 

inventories, including requiring that a physical inventory be conducted at 

least annually, which is in accordance with the DHS property 

management manual. For example, USSS guidance requires that field 

office personnel conduct annual inventories to ensure the completeness 

and accuracy of the ammunition inventory information within their 

inventory system.

 33DHS Manual 119-03-001-01, Personal Property Asset Management Program Manual, 

(Washington, D.C.: 2013). Specifically, the manual states components are to identify 

sensitive personal property assets (e.g., weapons and information technology equipment 

with memory capability) and establish additional control and accountability methods 

commensurate with that sensitivity to safeguard against loss, theft, and misuse. 

Components are also to identify personal property assets containing material that could be 

dangerous to public health or safety, or hazardous to the environment if disposed of 

irresponsibly, and establish special control and accountability methods to ensure the 

material is managed properly. The manual defines ammunition as a dangerous and 

hazardous asset and as a sensitive asset. Sensitive assets must be formally accounted 

for in an accountable system of record and are also subject to an annual physical 

inventory and a 15 percent random sampling of the firearm inventory by an independent 

third party.

DHS Components Have 

Policies and Procedures 

for Managing Ammunition 

Inventory
Page 29 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

According to ICE officials, ICE has treated ammunition as a consumable 

asset and has not subjected it to the same inventory process as 

firearms.34 Sensitive assets such as firearms are subject to the special 

requirements outlined in the DHS property management directive. ICE 

officials stated that although they have not conducted annual physical 

inventories, ammunition balances and inventory levels are continuously 

tracked in FACTS, and senior firearms instructors in local field offices 

manage and maintain their ammunition inventory in FACTS as well as on 

ammunition inventory control sheets that are maintained locally. ICE 

officials said beginning in fiscal year 2014, they plan to institute a 

separate and distinct physical inventory of ammunition in conjunction with 

the annual ICE-wide sensitive asset inventory.

We provided a draft of this report to DHS and DOJ for official review and 

comment. DHS provided written comments, which are reproduced in full 

in appendix IV. DHS agreed that annual ammunition purchases have 

declined during the past 3 years and are comparable to those of DOJ law 

enforcement agencies. DOJ did not provide written comments on this 

report. DHS and DOJ provided technical comments, which we 

incorporated where appropriate.

As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce the contents of 

this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days from the 

report date. At that time, we will send copies to the Secretary of 

Homeland Security, the Attorney General, selected congressional 

committees, and other interested parties. In addition, the report will be 

available at no charge on the GAO website at http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staffs have any questions about this report, please contact 

me at (202) 512-9627 or maurerd@gao.gov. Contact points for our 

Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on 

 34According to DHS, a consumable asset is an item of supply that is consumed in use 

(such as paint, rations, water, office supplies, cleaning and preserving materials, and fuel) 

or that loses its separate identity when merged into another entity (e.g., nuts and bolts, 

repair parts, spares, construction materials, components and assemblies, etc.). 

Consumables are considered to be expendable when issued and do not require formal 

accountability after they have been issued from the system of record. In addition, the 

Office of the Chief Readiness Support Officer noted that ammunition is a consumable 

asset that is considered to be expended once it is issued and does not require formal 

accountability after it has been issued from the system of record.

Agency Comments
Page 30 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

the last page of this report. Key contributors to this report are listed in 

appendix V.

David C. Maurer

Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues
Page 31 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

1. What are the trends in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 

ammunition purchases since fiscal year 2008, what factors affect its 

purchase decisions, and how do DHS’s purchases compare with 

those of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ)?

2. What policies and guidance does DHS have for managing firearms 

and ammunition inventories?

To obtain information on DHS’s acquisition practices for ammunition, we 

examined the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); DHS’s acquisition 

and procurement policies and guidance, including the Homeland Security 

Acquisition Regulation (HSAR); and the Homeland Security Acquisition 

Manual (HSAM). We reviewed prior GAO reports and a Congressional 

Research Service memorandum on DHS acquisition and procurement.1

 1

See, for example, GAO, Homeland Security: DHS has Enhanced Procurement Oversight 

Efforts, but Needs to Update Guidance,

We also reviewed contracts for ammunition purchases and related preaward documentation, including acquisition plans, market research, and 

cost estimates, but we did not review whether components’ ammunition 

procurements complied with the FAR, HSAR, or HSAM. We interviewed 

the Director for Procurement Policy and Oversight, the Director for 

Oversight and Strategic Sourcing, and the acquisition and program 

officials from six DHS components including U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 

Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U. S. Secret Service 

(USSS), National Protection and Programs Directorate/Federal Protective 

Service (FPS), and Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) 

to discuss contracting procedures and practices for procuring 

ammunition, including the use of the Weapons Ammunition Commodity 

Council and strategic sourcing to coordinate and leverage their buying 

power. We reviewed relevant policies and guidance, examined 

department and component documentation, and interviewed officials from 

the DHS Office of the Chief Procurement Officer and components on 

practices they employ and contracts they have leveraged. Specifically, we 

interviewed officials from DHS’s strategic sourcing program office, as well 

as all six components, to gain an understanding of DHS’s strategic 

sourcing processes, the availability of strategic sourcing contracting 

vehicles for ammunition, and the potential of establishing componentGAO-12-947 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 10, 2012),

and Congressional Research Service, Recent Department of Homeland Security 

Ammunition Solicitations, Contracts, and Purchases, Memorandum prepared for 

distribution to more than one congressional office (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 7, 2013).

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology
Page 32 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

specific strategic sourcing goals for procuring ammunition. We also 

interviewed Office of the Chief Procurement Officer Oversight and Pricing 

Branch officials regarding their tri-annual reviews of procurement 

operations.

To determine any trends in DHS’s ammunition purchases since fiscal 

year 2008, we obtained available data from DHS law enforcement 

components with firearm-carrying personnel regarding their ammunition 

purchases, costs, usage, and the size of the authorized firearm-carrying 

workforce for fiscal years 2008 through 2013. Specifically, we selected all 

DHS law enforcement components with firearm-carrying personnel—

CBP, ICE, TSA, USSS, FPS—as well as FLETC. The number of TSA 

federal air marshals and the number of federal flight deck officers 

authorized by TSA to carry firearms is considered sensitive security 

information. Accordingly, we excluded that information from this report. 

We also obtained data from DHS components on their estimated 

ammunition inventory balances for three points in time—November 2012, 

April 2013, and October 2013. Because we determined that it is not 

possible to provide an average ammunition inventory for a year or past 

years, as ammunition inventory is constantly fluctuating, we selected 

these points in time based on data that was previously reported by DHS 

to Congress prior to our review as well as data available at the start and 

end of our review. In addition, DHS components’ records may not always 

reflect the exact quantities of the ammunition inventory. For example, 

depending on how often components update their inventory data, the time 

lag may result in differences between quantities of ammunition actually 

available and those reflected on the inventory records. We also obtained 

data on planned ammunition purchases for fiscal year 2014.

In deciding which DHS components to examine in our review, we 

excluded components that were not law enforcement components and

had small numbers of personnel authorized to carry firearms and made 

small purchases of ammunition, such as the Office of the Inspector 

General and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). We 

also excluded the U.S. Coast Guard—a DHS component with firearmcarrying personnel—because the Coast Guard does not procure 

ammunition through DHS; rather, the U.S. Coast Guard procures its 

ammunition through Department of Defense contracts.

Similarly, we selected all DOJ law enforcement components with firearmcarrying personnel regarding their ammunition purchases, costs, usage, 

and size of the workforce authorized to carry firearms for fiscal years 

2011 through 2013. The specific DOJ law enforcement components 

included in our review are the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and 
Page 33 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and U.S. 

Marshals Service. The Federal Bureau of Prisons could not provide 

ammunition purchase data comparable to that of the other components 

based on its method of record keeping and data retention policy. We 

determined that data from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) 

were not sufficiently reliable for our purposes, because DEA could only 

provide estimates of purchases. We, therefore, excluded both agencies 

from our scope. We included the selected DOJ law enforcement agencies 

in our review to provide perspective and context to help understand 

DHS’s ammunition purchases and usage relative to those of other federal 

law enforcement agencies.2

We selected fiscal year 2008 as the starting point for our analysis 

because data on ammunition purchases, cost, and use were not readily 

available or reliable prior to fiscal year 2008, according to DHS officials. 

Nevertheless, obtaining data going back 5 fiscal years provides some 

historical perspective on DHS’s ammunition purchases and use over time, 

and allows for comparisons with ammunition purchases for fiscal year 

2013 and planned purchases for fiscal year 2014. We analyzed the data 

to identify any changes in the amount of ammunition purchased or used 

year to year, and we interviewed knowledgeable officials from the 

components to understand some of the reasons why changes occurred. 

For each fiscal year, we calculated the amount of ammunition purchased 

per officer authorized to carry firearms at each DHS and DOJ component 

in our review, using component-provided data on the amount of 

ammunition purchased and the number of officers. We calculated the 

average number of rounds purchased per agent or officer per year for 

fiscal years 2008 through 2013 at DHS by determining the average 

ammunition purchased across components in each fiscal year, excluding 

FLETC, and dividing that by the average number of officers at DHS for 

each fiscal year.3

 2

We did not examine other law enforcement organizations because they were outside the 

scope of our study and the other organizations have their own unique mission needs.

We determined that data for DOJ agencies were not 

readily available prior to fiscal year 2011 for all components, so we used 

data for fiscal years 2011 through 2013 to do the same calculation. We 

analyzed the amount of ammunition purchased per agent or officer 

3

We excluded FLETC from this analysis because FLETC has few firearm-carrying officers 

for which it purchases ammunition. Ammunition purchased by FLETC is utilized by all 

students who train on firearms at its facilities, including DHS and other federal law 

enforcement personnel, as well as state, local, tribal, and international law enforcement 

personnel. 
Page 34 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

authorized to carry a firearm to account for the varying sizes of the 

different departments and components. We selected DOJ to provide a 

comparison with DHS’s ammunition purchases as it has the second 

largest number of personnel authorized to carry firearms. However, our 

DOJ analysis is not to suggest that the department represents a model or 

standard against which DHS is assessed. Differences in the amount of 

ammunition per firearm-carrying personnel reflect a number of factors, 

including unique mission requirements and training needs.

To assess the reliability of the data we obtained from DHS components 

on ammunition purchases and costs, we reviewed the extent to which the 

components have procedures and controls for ensuring that the data are 

consistent and accurate, and interviewed knowledgeable officials 

responsible for collecting and reporting the data. In addition, for the data 

we obtained from DHS components on ammunition purchases and costs, 

we compared it with corroborating evidence to determine data 

consistency and reasonableness. Specifically, we obtained information on 

ammunition procurements using obligations data from fiscal years 2008 

through 2012, and part of fiscal year 2013 from the Federal Procurement 

Data System (FPDS), which tracks all contracts using appropriated funds 

government-wide. We used the obligations data from the FPDS and 

compared ammunitions obligations for DHS with the sum of ammunition 

costs as provided to us by each of the components. We also compared 

estimated ammunition used with ammunition purchased under the 

assumption that in a given year, components would purchase ammunition 

to replace what was used. We calculated how much ammunition DHS 

components might be expected to use in a given year using data, 

provided by DHS, on the size of the firearm-carrying workforce, the 

number of staff qualified on various types of firearms, and the number of 

rounds of ammunition typically allotted for training and qualifications. We 

also reviewed selected DHS ammunition procurement contracts, which 

were readily available, for information on ammunition purchases, costs, 

and stated requirements. We found the data on ammunition purchases 

and costs for the DHS components to be sufficiently reliable for our 

purposes.

To assess the reliability of the data we obtained from DHS components 

on ammunition inventory, we reviewed the extent to which the agencies 

have procedures and controls for ensuring that the data are consistent 

and accurate, and interviewed knowledgeable officials responsible for 

collecting and reporting the data. To determine the approximate number 

of months’ supply of ammunition in inventory for each component, we 

used fiscal year 2013 estimated ammunition usage data provided by DHS 

components and divided that number by 12 to get an estimate of monthly 
Page 35 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

ammunition usage. We then divided the components’ inventory figures by 

the monthly ammunition usage estimate to get estimated months’ worth in 

inventory for those three points in time. Each component has policies in 

place to maintain and record its own ammunition inventory, but according 

to officials, ammunition balances may not always be up to date and 

generally are estimates. For example, depending on how often 

components update their inventory data, the time lag may result in 

differences between quantities of ammunition actually available and those 

reflected on the inventory records. On the basis of this information, we 

determined the data to be sufficiently reliable to be reported rounded to 

the millions.

To assess the reliability of the data we obtained from DHS components 

on ammunition usage, we interviewed knowledgeable officials responsible 

for collecting and reporting the data. DHS components do not centrally 

track historical ammunition usage, in large part because their data 

management systems are not designed to track ammunition usage. 

However, components did provide us estimates of ammunition usage for 

fiscal years 2008 through 2013 based on how much ammunition they 

purchased in previous years, the number of firearm-carrying personnel, 

and related training and qualification requirements. We determined these 

data were sufficiently reliable to report general trends in usage when 

rounded to the hundred thousands.

DHS components provided us with data on the number of personnel 

authorized to carry firearms for fiscal year 2008 through 2013 and 

information about how they compiled these data. Data sources varied by 

component and included personnel systems, the Firearms, Armor, and 

Credentials Tracking System (FACTS), and data from the National 

Finance Center. Workforce data provided by CBP is not precise because 

it included a rounded number of personnel for one of CBP’s subcomponents. Therefore, we report CBP’s data rounded to the thousands. 

On the basis of this information, we determined these data were 

sufficiently reliable to be used for background purposes and in our 

calculations of the average number of rounds purchased per agent or 

officer.

To assess the reliability of the inventory, workforce, and ammunition 

purchase data we obtained from DOJ, we interviewed knowledgeable 

officials responsible for collecting and reporting the data about the extent 

to which DOJ components have procedures and controls in place for 

ensuring that the data are consistent and accurate. We calculated the 

DOJ inventory months’ worth estimates in the same way we did for DHS 

components. On the basis of this information, we determined these data 
Page 36 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

to be sufficiently reliable to report rounded estimates based on these 

data.

We interviewed officials from the six DHS components in our review to 

discuss the ammunition procurement process and how ammunition 

requirements are determined at the component level and the purpose of 

quality testing the ammunition, and to understand the context of why 

proficiency among firearm-carrying personnel is important. In addition, 

DHS components provided examples of purchase and delivery orders in 

which the components experienced a variation in lag time between 

placing a purchase order and receiving a shipment of ammunition, which 

can result from the manufacturing lead time associated with ammunition 

purchases. Finally, for additional context, we conducted a site visit to the 

ICE National Firearms Testing Lab, which performs quality control testing 

on ammunition and firearms, and maintains an inventory of ammunition 

and firearms for distribution to DHS field locations.

To address our second question, we examined the general requirements 

and policies DHS and its components had to manage and oversee 

firearms and ammunition, but we did not assess whether the directives, 

policies, and guidance were working as intended or if component 

personnel were adhering to them, as that was outside the scope of our 

review. We examined agency-wide directives and guidance, and 

component management policies and procedures for managing 

ammunition and firearms. This included reviewing the firearm policy 

manuals or related documentation from CBP, FLETC, FPS, ICE, TSA, 

and USSS to determine whether the manuals specifically addressed 

agency-wide firearm and ammunition inventory management 

requirements. We also interviewed officials from the Office of the Chief 

Readiness Support Officer and from DHS components, and reviewed 

components’ written responses regarding their policies and guidance for 

managing firearms and ammunition. In addition, we interviewed 

component officials responsible for conducting management and 

compliance reviews of component operations, including on-site review 

and self-inspection program findings and recommendations, which 

include, but are not limited to, ammunition and firearms management and 

controls. We also reviewed a 2010 DHS Inspector General report on DHS 

firearms controls.4

 4

Department of Homeland Security Inspector General, DHS Controls over Firearms, 

OIG-10-41 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 25, 2010). 
Page 37 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

We conducted this performance audit from May 2013 to January 2014 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.
Page 38 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Figure 5 shows some of the most commonly purchased types of 

ammunition for ICE, and figure 6 shows firearms commonly issued by 

DHS components.1

Figure 5: Ammunition Commonly Purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

 1

Commonly used firearms and ammunition refer to the firearms issued and largest 

amounts of ammunition purchased by the components in our review.

Appendix II: Commonly Used Ammunition 

and Issued Firearms at DHS
Page 39 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Figure 6: Firearms Commonly Issued by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Components

Note: The firearms illustrated are intended to be general representations and are not specifically the 

model types or configurations used by DHS components. DHS components may use other weapons 

in addition to the ones in this figure
Page 40 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Most of DHS’s ammunition contracts, whether strategically sourced or 

individual contracts, are indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) 

contracts, which are typically negotiated for a base year with additional 

options for purchasing ammunition up to a certain maximum number of 

rounds, or contract ceiling. As shown in the table below, the 29 existing 

DHS ammunition contracts extend over the next 4 fiscal years and have a 

remaining contract limit of approximately 704 million rounds (for various 

ammunition types) if every option for purchasing ammunition were 

exercised into fiscal year 2018.

Component 

name

Ammunition 

caliber

Contract 

award date

Contract 

end date

Contract 

ceiling in 

dollars 

Contract 

ceiling in 

rounds

Estimated remaining number of rounds 

available as of October 1, 2013 

Federal Law 

Enforcement 

Training 

Centers 

(FLETC)

.357, .45, .40 

and 9 mm

03/28/2013 4/1/2014 $30,000,000 104,587,924 According to FLETC officials, these 

contracts are Reduced Hazard Training 

Ammunition (RHTA) and are available for 

the entire federal government to order 

from. Orders may be placed against these 

contracts before 4/1/2014 and are not 

expected to meet the ceiling. Although 

they are still active, DHS intends to 

replace them with new contracts.

.357, .40, 9

mm, 12 

gauge, and 

.223

03/29/2013 4/1/2014

.357, .45, 

.40, 9 mm, 

12 gauge, 

and .223

03/30/2013 4/1/2014

.40, 10mm, 9

mm, and 

.223

03/31/2013 4/1/2014

.223, 30-06, 

.308, 12 

gauge, .357, 

.38, .40, .45, 

7.62, and 9

mm

04/12/2013 04/11/2018 6,229,785 23,000,000 22,992,500 

.223, 30-06, 

.308, 12 

gauge, .357, 

.38, .40, .45, 

7.62, and 9

mm

04/12/2013 04/11/2018 4,295,419 23,000,000 20,210,000 

Appendix III: Department of Homeland 

Security Ammunition Contracts, as of 

October 1, 2013
Page 41 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Component 

name

Ammunition 

caliber

Contract 

award date

Contract 

end date

Contract 

ceiling in 

dollars 

Contract 

ceiling in 

rounds

Estimated remaining number of rounds 

available as of October 1, 2013 

.223, 30-06, 

.308, 12 

gauge, .357, 

.38, .40, .45, 

7.62, and 9

mm

04/12/2013 04/11/2018 $6,359,270 23,000,000 19,874,000 

.45, .22 , 

3030, 

12 gauge, 

.357, and 

7.62

04/15/2013 12/11/2013 29,520 99,800 0

.40 06/11/2013 11/12/2013 500,000 2,000,000 0

.40 and .223 08/29/2013 12/13/2013 373,825 1,650,000 0

.40 09/04/2013 11/04/2013 42,024 200,000 0

12 gauge 09/03/2013 12/15/2013 2,765 5,000 0

.45 09/16/2013 01/16/2014 35,555 100,000 0

.38 09/16/2013 01/16/2014 7,950 30,000 0

Immigration 

and Customs 

Enforcement 

(ICE)a

9 mm 9/29/2011 9/28/2016 3,493,331 14,750,000 6,149,000

.38 9/29/2011 9/28/2016 3,334,518 8,800,000 8,093,000

.40 1/10/2012 1/9/2017 109,490,400 450,000,000 408,461,000

.223 7/12/2012 7/11/2017 10,000,000 10,000,000 9,872,200

.223 1/1/2013 12/31/2017 92,983,440 172,000,000 171,011,800

Transportation 

Security 

Administration 

(TSA)

.357 9/26/2013 9/25/2014 744,095 3,454,000 0

U.S. Secret 

Service 

(USSS)

Specific 

ammunition 

types are 

considered 

law 

enforcement 

sensitive and 

are therefore 

not included 

in this report

6/23/2010 5/29/2015 10,902,329 43,350,000 29,749,000

6/28/2010 5/31/2015 501,690 1,250,000 305,000

8/16/2010 5/29/2015 682,900 1,600,000 1,560,000

6/1/2010 5/29/2015 242,327 3,750,000 690,250
Page 42 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Component 

name

Ammunition 

caliber

Contract 

award date

Contract 

end date

Contract 

ceiling in 

dollars 

Contract 

ceiling in 

rounds

Estimated remaining number of rounds 

available as of October 1, 2013 

8/15/2010 5/29/2015 $876,000 800,000 217,500

6/23/2010 5/29/2015 1,606,000 3,000,000 3,000,000

7/14/2010 5/29/2015 1,606,000 3,000,000 1,885,000

9/30/2013 9/29/2018 750,000 400,000 320,000

8/24/2013 12/31/2013 267,500 963,000 0

Total $ 285,356,645 894,789,724 704,390,250

Source: GAO analysis of Department of Homeland Security contract data.

Notes: Totals may not add up because of rounding.

DHS’s strategic sourcing contract vehicles include contracts or agreements that have been 

established for use by two or more components to leverage their buying power and secure 

competitive prices resulting in cost savings through collective procurement actions (e.g., buying in 

bulk quantities at lower prices). Strategically sourced contracts are shaded.

a

Other components purchase on ICE contracts, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

and Federal Protective Service (FPS).
Page 43 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

Appendix IV: Comments from the 

Department of Homeland Security
Page 44 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms
Page 45 GAO-14-119 DHS Ammunition and Firearms

David C. Maurer, (202) 512-9627 or maurerd@gao.gov

In addition to the contact named above, Adam Hoffman (Assistant 

Director) and Daniel Blinderman, Billy Commons, Lorraine Ettaro, Emily 

Gunn, Eric Hauswirth, Susan Hsu, Susanna Kuebler, Gary Malavenda, 

Linda Miller, and Anthony Pordes made significant contributions to this 

report.

Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

GAO Contact

Staff 

Acknowledgments

(441151)
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