It’s especially ironic that the federal government is looking for any excuse to take away the 2nd Amendment rights of the American people while government agencies appear to be looking for any excuse to arm themselves. John Hawkins
Shortly before Obama left office, investigative journalists Tom Coburn and Adam Andrzejewski wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal titled “Why Does the IRS Need Guns?” Why indeed are special agents at the IRS equipped with AR-15 military-style rifles, or Health and Human Services Agents being trained by the Army’s Special Forces contractors, or the Department of Veterans Affairs arming 3,700 employees?
At the time this story was written in 2016, some 200,000 unelected federal bureaucrats had the authority to carry firearms and to make arrests in the private sector; a number that exceeded the combined total of the US Marine Corps and the British Armed Forces.
I guess we can all sleep better tonight knowing that we have some of the best armed pencil pushers in the world.
From 2005 through 2014, the IRS, with 2,316 special agents, spent nearly $11 million on guns, ammunition and military style equipment. The Department of Veterans Affairs, with 3,700 law enforcement officers guarding the VA Medical Centers, spent $11.66 million on items that included night vision equipment, body armor, guns, and ammunition.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service spent $4.77 million on shotguns, .308 rifles, night vision goggles, propane cannons, liquid explosives, pyro supplies, buckshot, LP gas cannons, drones, remote controlled helicopters, thermal cameras, military waterproof thermal infrared scopes, etc.
Why would the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the Bureau of Engraving, or the Department of Education or the Department of Interior, or the US Geological Survey, the Smithsonian, the Department of Agriculture or the Railroad Retirement Board need to be armed?
In 2016, The Small Business Administration (SBA) spent tens of thousands to load its gun locker with Glocks. And they weren’t alone. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service modified their Glocks with silencers. In addition to all the money spent on arms and ammo though 2014, the IRS spent an additional $1.2 million on ammo.
According to a December 2018, GAO report, Purchases and Inventory Controls of Firearms, Ammunition, and Tactical Equipment, from fiscal year 2010 through 2017, twenty federal law enforcement agencies reported spending at least $38.8 million on firearms, $325.9 million on ammunition, and $1.14 billion on tactical equipment. In additional to those federal agencies that you would expect to be armed like ICE, Board Patrol, ATF, etc., the report showed expenditures for those agencies listed above along with the National Institute of Health, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife, and the Social Security Administration.
Anyone know why the Social Security Administration needs 800,000 rounds of ammo? Are they preparing for a senior citizen uprising? Why does the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, created to conserve and protect fish, wildlife and plants, need to spend over $400 thousand for .308mm rifles, Glocks modified with silencers, and semi-automatic rifles? What do they plan on sneaking up on – tomato worms?
With at least 1.3 million active duty soldiers, almost 445 thousand Army and Air National Guard, and 596 thousand Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard Reservists to protect us from invasion, along with over 760 thousand state and local law enforcement officers to protect us from domestic criminals, why did the government see fit to arm 200,000 bureaucrats with enough fire power to shoot every American at least 5 times?
The government does not stockpile weapons, camouflage uniforms, riot helmets and remote-control helicopters, cannons, night vision goggles, explosives, drones, thermal cameras, etc. because they think peace is going to break out. What are they preparing for?
Source: WSJ: Why Does the IRS Need Guns? at Oath Keepers; Why Are Federal Bureaucrats Buying Guns And Ammo? $158 Million Spent By Non-Military Agencies, by Adam Andrzejewski, Forbes; GAO-19-175, Federal Law Enforcement Report (PDF file)
