Why does the Department of Agriculture need submachine guns?

American Thinker ^ | 05/15/2014 | Thomas Lifson

[SeekAndFind]

Those federal bureaucrats who can’t be fired want to be able to defend themselves from angry taxpayers.  Or something.  AWR Hawkins reports for Breitbart:

A May 7th solicitation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeks "the commercial acquisition of submachine guns [in] .40 Cal. S&W."

According to the solicitation, the Dept. of Agriculture wants the guns to have an "ambidextrous safety, semiautomatic or 2 round [bursts] trigger group, Tritium night sights front and rear, rails for attachment of flashlight (front under fore group) and scope (top rear), stock collapsible or folding," and a "30 rd. capacity" magazine.

They also want the submachine guns to have a "sling," be "lightweight," and have an "oversized trigger guard for gloved operation." 

But of course those feds have our best interests at heart, so there's nothing to worry about. And those efforts to disarm us are for our own benefit.

[Vaduz]

Plans are in the making?.

[tumblindice]

Hi there! Hank Kimball here. I may seem like a mild-mannered county extension agent, but but I've got a `hankerin' to wear your guts for suspenders!

[sphinx]

My guess would be Forest Service, which is part of USDA and which has a law enforcement component. The Forest Service manages some very large and remote areas in which the local non-federal constabulary may be nowhere to be found, the nearest Dunkin Donut being 120 miles away. Some remote areas are frequented by two legged wildlife considerably more dangerous than bears. Meth labs, smugglers (human and drugs), assorted others hiding out, etc.

[ßuddaßudd]

good thing the .gov buys the same caliber I use . .
F U .gov

[S.O.S121.500]

Same reason the fish, tree, paper passer, and cow cops need theirs.....

[Svartalfiar]

NO NO NO NO NO!!!

Get the damn things in 9mm, leave my .40 alone!

[Robert Teesdale]

4GW

It's All Fun And Games Until Then, Gear Queers.

[Sergio]

bkmk

[SgtHooper]

Actually, one of you code warriors simply needs to write a program that does that automatically. We simply enter the website addy in a large list of “good” sites, and the bot auto-selects ads to up the click-through and dwell, then drops out and moves to the next site on the list.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Yes, the Forest Service has a whole law enforcement division.

[pallis]

“Again, why do they need SMGs?”

You obviously never encountered any posts displaying my contempt for SWAT teams, or armed federal agencies. Any federal agent needing firepower should be required to go through local sheriffs or police to get it.

But, since you asked again, I would suspect the Department of Agriculture might use hostile growers of illegal crops as an excuse for “SMGs.” Why does the Post Office need SMGs.

Every federal agency seems to have an excuse for needing arms, and they buy excessive ammunition to support their arsenals, driving up the price of ammunition, and limiting civilian access to it. Need has nothing to do with it.

They like their SWAT teams.

[CrazyIvan]

I suppose pot growing farm will come under their juristiction like any other crop. Where there’s drugs there’s violence. That might be their justification.

[SeekAndFind]

RE; I suppose pot growing farm will come under their juristiction like any other crop. Where there’s drugs there’s violence. That might be their justification.

I think the previous question asked was GIVEN THIS, why does the Department of Agriculture itself have to be given police powers? Why can’t they work with LOCAL and STATE POLICE?

[SeekAndFind]

I think the previous question asked was ... why does the Department of Agriculture itself have to be given police powers? Why can’t they work with LOCAL and STATE POLICE?

[CrazyIvan]

I wasn’t saying that I thought that they needed them, just that they would use this for an excuse.

[FreeAtlanta]

That isn't a good thing. The advertisers are paying to try to get real hits. Advertising helps to keep the internet flowing (at least it pays for good, fresh content and development). It is very capitalistic. 😊 When people spam ad clicks or over abuse the format in other ways, it diminishes the process and hurts the long term model. I believe in supporting sites that I like by visiting their sponsors when I have time. Sometimes I find things I really like. I also respect the sponsors by not clicking on ads that I really am not interested in. Just my 2 cents

[itsahoot]

What is Congress doing to protect us?

Giving them the money to buy the guns.

[itsahoot]

it’s understandable that they might want to be able to outgun Protect the drug dealers.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***That could never happen here in the Land Of The Free.***

"We are more civilized than that!"

[Fledermaus]

This is why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMbXvn2RNI&feature=kp