When the internet learned that the Social Security Administration was making a purchase for 174,000 hollow-point bullets, conspiracy theories began to fly. The Social Security Administration dealt with so many distractions that it created a website just to explain the bullets. The agency said that the bullets were purchased for its office of inspector general. The office employs 295 agents whose job it is to investigate Social Security fraud and other major crimes. Jonathan L. Lasher, SSA’s assistant IG for external relations made the announcement about the bullets.
Lasher said that the agents carry gun and have the power to arrest citizens, to the tune of 589 in 2011. The agents also execute search warrants and respond to emergencies that involve threats against Social Security employees, customers and offices. The guns issued to the agents are .357 caliber and each agent is usually issued 590 bullets. The majority of the bullets issued to the agents will be used on the firing range, according to Lasher.
Lasher has had to answer questions regarding the type of ammunition being purchased for the agents. He said that the bullets purchased are standard issue for multiple law agencies across the country.
“For practice ammunition, they do not have to be hollow-points, but hollow-points are the normal police round used for duty ammunition due to their ability to stop when they hit an object as opposed to going through it and striking more objects,” said William J. Muldoon, president of the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training.
The rumor became so large that even late night talk show host Jay Leno discussed the purchase of the ammunition on his show, “The Tonight Show.” ”What senior citizens are they worried about? I mean, who’s going to storm the building?”
Lasher said, “That’s why we opened a blog post. We were getting a lot of inquiries and the blog gave us a vehicle to put all of the accurate information out there in one place, so that those who are interested or concerned can read what the real story is.”