Non-defense agencies spend $1.5 billion of your tax dollars on military-style guns and ammo

Free Market Central ^

[sloop3]

An IRS Special Agent gets to carry an AR15 in certain circumstances. Another agency, Health & Human Services, trains special agents on heavy military-style weapon platforms by the same vendors that train our Special Forces warriors.

[sloop3]

You never hear a thing about this from the mainstream media.

[henkster]

The federal government had become a collection of feudal duchies, with each agency paying only nominal allegiance to the sovereign. And like a feudal duchy, each agency has its own military.

[apocalypto]

You sure don’t. Total silence.

[Logical me]

Communists Democrats have brought America to a dangerous point. There is no reason the IRS should have heavy weapons. And other agencies have them also. It is like the communists Democrats have infiltrated the government with an army and have armed them.

[PapaBear3625]

Health and Human Services (and the rest) can have all the guns they want.

Where they might find themselves lacking, is having enough people willing to go up against anybody who might return fire.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Started with Clinton when various agencies were allowed to arm themselves on the job. It has been questioned why poultry inspectors, and Dept of Education and other non-enforcement agencies would need them. And I believe it is against federal law for the IRS to be armed except in very few instances.

[Admin Moderator]

Last warning - place your material in our bloggers forum or risk a time-out.

[Texas Fossil]

The Rules>

Here is the real title:

Free Market Central Interview: Why Does ‘The Swamp’ Need Guns?

http://www.freemarketcentral.com/post/10720/free-market-central-interview-why-does-the-swamp-need-guns

[xkaydet65]

I have a good friend who was a regional director of SSS.He would agree with your characterization of the federal bureaucracy.

[precisionshootist]

Machine guns are only good for killing mass numbers of people and spraying bullets everywhere. (So we are told by the left gun banners and politicians) Yet every government agency has them and so do the local police departments. Can someone tell me when does a federal agent have the need to kill mass numbers of people and spray bullets? What law enforcement function is served by machine guns and heavy weapons? Lastly if federal agents do have a legitimate use for machine guns then it stands to reason the second amendment would mandate the people need them also as the whole point of the second amendment is to gaurantee the balance of power remains with the people.

[Pollster1]

My thoughts on armed federal employees:

In general, the American people should be armed, and federal employees should not be armed as part of their duties (although they should be permitted to carry personal weapons, like any other American), with a few exceptions.

- The Armed Services, including the Coast Guard, should be armed.
- The same goes for the various military investigative services (DCIS, CID, NCIS, AFOSI, and CGIS), and for federal employees working in the wilderness (National Park rangers, National Forest rangers, and Fish and Wildlife officers).
- ICE, US Secret Service, and our Customs and Border officers should be armed.
- Federal Air Marshals should be armed.
- Arm the FBI, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and United States Marshals Service.
- There should be one consolidated armed federal police agency for the protection of all federal facilities and for law enforcement in those facilities.
- I might consider a special rule for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Secure Transportation (OST), for the CIA's protective service, and one for State's diplomatic protection. Maybe. Otherwise, the proliferation of armed federal agencies should be reversed.

There may be some quibbles where I am unaware of something crucial, and some typos where I should know better, but overall, I think the broad outline takes the correct approach to this decision.

- BATFE should be abolished. Failing that, they should be disarmed paper pushers checking on forms and compliance, not law enforcement officers.
- DEA should be abolished; transfer their duties to the FBI.
- The various Office of Inspector General organizations and similar groups should not be armed. If they need armed agents, they should call the FBI or a federal marshal.

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Here's who is actually armed today, with the ones that should be disarmed or merged crossed out:

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Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG)
United States Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations (USFS LEI)

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Department of Commerce (DOC)

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Office of Export Enforcement (OEE)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Institute of Standards and Technology Police (NIST Police)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office for Law Enforcement (OLE)
Department of Commerce Office of Security (DOC OS)
Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (DOC OIG)

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Department of Defense

Office of Inspector General (DOD OIG),
Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS)
Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA), United States Pentagon Police (USPPD)
Department of Defense Police
Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Logistics Agency Police (DLA)
National Security Agency, National Security Agency Police (NSA)
Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency Police (DIA)
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Police (NGA)

Department of the Army

United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID)
United States Army Military Police Corps
Department of the Army Civilian Police
United States Army Corrections Command
United States Army Counterintelligence (ACI), United States Army Intelligence and Security Command

Department of the Navy

Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
United States Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division (USMC CID)
Master-at-arms (United States Navy) (military police)
Department of the Navy Police (civilian police)
Marine Corps Provost Marshal's Office (military police)
United States Marine Corps Civilian Police (civilian police)

Department of the Air Force

Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI)
Air Force Security Forces Center (AFSFC)
Air Force Security Forces (military police)
Department of the Air Force Police (civilian police)

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Department of Education Office of the Inspector General (ED OIG)

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Department of Energy (DOE)

Office of Inspector General (DOE OIG)
Office of Health, Safety and Security (DOE HSS)
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Secure Transportation (OST)

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Department of Health and Human Services

United States Food and Drug Administration (HHSFDA), Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI)
National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institutes of Health Police (NIH Police)
Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG)

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Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
National Protection and Programs Directorate, Federal Protective Service (FPS)
United States Coast Guard (USCG)
Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS)
United States Coast Guard Police (CGPD)
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Office of Air and Marine (OAM)
Office of Border Patrol (OBP)
Office of Field Operations (OFO)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC) Police
Office of Chief Security Officer (OCSO)
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Office of Intelligence
Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR)
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
United States Secret Service (USSS)
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Office of Law Enforcement (OLE)
Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS)
Office of Inspection (OI)
Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHSOIG)

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Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG)
Protective Service Division (HUD PSD)
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Department of the Interior (USDI)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Justice Services,
Bureau of Indian Affairs Police (BIA Police)
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Office of Law Enforcement (BLM Rangers and Special Agents)
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Bureau of Reclamation Office of Law Enforcement (BOR Rangers)
Hoover Dam Police aka Bureau of Reclamation Police
National Park Service (NPS), Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services (U.S. Park Rangers-Law Enforcement)

United States Park Police

Office of Inspector General (DOI OIG)
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE)
United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Office of Law Enforcement (FWS OLE)
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Department of Justice (DOJ)

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (since 1973)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
Federal Bureau of Investigation Police (FBI Police)
Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
United States Marshals Service (USMS)
Office of Inspector General (DOJ OIG)
Office of Professional Responsibility (DOJ OPR)

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Department of Labor

Office of Inspector General (DOLOIG)

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Department of State (DoS)

Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)
Office of Foreign Missions Office of the Inspector General
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Department of Transportation

Office of Inspector General (DOTOIG)
United States Merchant Marine Academy Department of Public Safety (USMMADPS)
Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation - NHTSA (OFI)

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Department of the Treasury

Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police (BEP Police)
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN)
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI)
United States Mint Police (USMP)
Office of Inspector General (TREASOIG)
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)

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Department of Veterans Affairs

Office of Inspector General (VAOIG)
Veterans Affairs Police

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Legislative Branch

Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives
Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate
United States Capitol Police (USCP)
Office of the Inspector General (USCP OIG)
Office of Professional Responsibility (USCP OPR)
Library of Congress (LOC)
Office of the Inspector General (LOCOIG)
Government Publishing Office (GPO), Government Publishing Office Police
Office of Inspector General (GPO OIG)

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Judicial Branch

Marshal of the United States Supreme Court
United States Supreme Court Police
Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC)
Office of Probation and Pretrial Services

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Central Intelligence Agency, Security Protective Service (CIA SPS)
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division (EPA CID)
Office of Inspector General (EPA OIG)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Protective Services (NASA OPS)
Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG)
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Office of Inspector General (OPM OIG)
Federal Investigative Services Division (FIS) / National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB)
Facilities, Security, and Emergency Management
United States Postal Service (USPS), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), U.S. Postal Police
United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General
Smithsonian Institution (SI)
Office of Protection Services
National Zoological Park Police (NZPP)
Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
Amtrak
Amtrak Office of Inspector General
Amtrak Office of Security Strategy and Special Operations (OSSSO)
Amtrak Police
Federal Reserve System
Federal Reserve Police
Federal Reserve Board Police (Board of Governors)
Office of Inspector General (FRB/CFPB OIG)
Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Valley Authority Police (TVAP)
Office of Inspector General (TVA OIG)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Office of Inspector General (NRC OIG)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Office of the Inspector General (NSF OIG)
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Office of the Inspector General (NARA OIG)
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
Office of Inspector General (RRB OIG)
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG)
General Services Administration (GSA)
Office of Inspector General (GSA OIG)
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Office of Inspector General (SSA OIG)
United States Agency for International Development
Office of Inspector General (AID OIG)
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
Office of the Inspector General (CNCS OIG)

[Svartalfiar]

An IRS Special Agent gets to carry an AR15 in certain circumstances. Another agency, Health & Human Services, trains special agents on heavy military-style weapon platforms by the same vendors that train our Special Forces warriors. Things are a bit out of control.

Um, I very highly doubt they are trained on any heavy weapons system. Especially if they're calling then military-style. A .50cal machine gun is considered light arms. And I doubt HHS is even training on those. Yea, I fully agree that 95% of the FedGov agencies don't need to be armed, but let's at least get our terminology correct...