FourTeeFive
Member
Sunday I was driving my panel van to Vegas from AZ. My GPS routed me over Hoover Dam. An hour away from the dam there is a traffic information sign saying to tune into the radio for info. I listened to the information about the Hoover Dam bypass project, which is going on right now and slowing down traffic. As I get near the dam I see that all traffic has to stop at a checkpoint.
All of the agents there are Homeland Security. I'm asked to get out and open the doors to the van. I do and they see some large black boxes of equipment and ask what is in them. I tell them and then they say "do you have any guns?". This surprised me and I said, "yes, I do." The next question was "how many rounds of ammunition do you have?" This really surprised me and I said "what?" The next comment was "do you have over a thousand rounds?"
Well, I have a .22LR rifle in the van and up until a week ago had only a single 550-round brick of ammo for it. But I was at Wal-Mart in AZ and they had .22LR ammo, which I hadn't seen in ages, for $16. So I brought another brick.
So... to the question I answered "uh, yes, I have 1100 rounds of .22LR ammo."
"Well sir, we cannot let you go over the dam with 1000 rounds or more of ammo."
I said "but it is .22 ammo!" And he said "it doesn't matter, it is 1000 rounds"
I said "ok, no problem, I'll just throw it away a brick of it in that that trash can over there and then I won't have 1000 rounds anymore."
"Sir, we cannot let you do that, you will have to take an alternate route."
To which I said "what? can't I just get rid of it and then I won't be driving over the dam with 1000 rounds of ammo?"
"No sir, you cannot."
So I had to turn around and basically had a two hour detour due to my 100 rounds of .22LR ammo over the limit for a drive over the dam.
Now let's look at the facts here. Driving along the road for over and hour and there are no signs stating this new requirement (I hesitate to call it a law). Secondly, they are classifying .22LR ammo as any other type of ammo. And lastly, what in the world can 1000 rounds of any legal ammo do to the Hoover Dam?
Yes folks, our tax dollars hard at work. Back before 9/11 I took a tour inside of Hoover Dam. That thing is the proverbial brick s-house. 100,000 rounds of ammo wouldn't make a dent in it. What in the world are they doing?
I'm half expecting to now see checkpoints with a military official asking to see my "papers". What in the world is happening here?
All of the agents there are Homeland Security. I'm asked to get out and open the doors to the van. I do and they see some large black boxes of equipment and ask what is in them. I tell them and then they say "do you have any guns?". This surprised me and I said, "yes, I do." The next question was "how many rounds of ammunition do you have?" This really surprised me and I said "what?" The next comment was "do you have over a thousand rounds?"
Well, I have a .22LR rifle in the van and up until a week ago had only a single 550-round brick of ammo for it. But I was at Wal-Mart in AZ and they had .22LR ammo, which I hadn't seen in ages, for $16. So I brought another brick.
So... to the question I answered "uh, yes, I have 1100 rounds of .22LR ammo."
"Well sir, we cannot let you go over the dam with 1000 rounds or more of ammo."
I said "but it is .22 ammo!" And he said "it doesn't matter, it is 1000 rounds"
I said "ok, no problem, I'll just throw it away a brick of it in that that trash can over there and then I won't have 1000 rounds anymore."
"Sir, we cannot let you do that, you will have to take an alternate route."
To which I said "what? can't I just get rid of it and then I won't be driving over the dam with 1000 rounds of ammo?"
"No sir, you cannot."
So I had to turn around and basically had a two hour detour due to my 100 rounds of .22LR ammo over the limit for a drive over the dam.
Now let's look at the facts here. Driving along the road for over and hour and there are no signs stating this new requirement (I hesitate to call it a law). Secondly, they are classifying .22LR ammo as any other type of ammo. And lastly, what in the world can 1000 rounds of any legal ammo do to the Hoover Dam?
Yes folks, our tax dollars hard at work. Back before 9/11 I took a tour inside of Hoover Dam. That thing is the proverbial brick s-house. 100,000 rounds of ammo wouldn't make a dent in it. What in the world are they doing?
I'm half expecting to now see checkpoints with a military official asking to see my "papers". What in the world is happening here?
