The IRS spent $11M for guns and ammo...

[lspencer534]

for the years 2006-2014. It spent another $1.5M for 2015-2016. The IRS has 2,316 special agents; that's about $5,000 per agent. Over the same period, the number of special agents the IRS employed declined from more than 3,000 to just about 2,000 in 2014.

The Environmental Protection Agency, The Department of Veterans Affairs, The Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service, are also purchasing guns and ammunition gear.

https://www.openthebooks.com/the_dai...past_10_years/

None of these are law enforcement agencies. Does the Government plan on using guns to force us to pay taxes, obey animal and plant regulations, etc.?

[Sea Six]

IRS does have a LE component since portions of the Internal Revenue Code have criminal elements. Their LE guys are the ones who investigate Federal tax crimes, make arrests and testify at the trials. They do wear a badge and carry a gun and handcuffs.

And the EPA also has LEO's since some violations of the EPA's regulations at the Federal level have criminal consequences, and their guys investigate those cases.

Same with the US Postal Service. Their LEO's are called postal inspectors, with powers of arrest for crimes such as mail fraud.

I wouldn't think anyone would expect these LEO's to do their jobs without firearms and weapons training.

I haven't checked into all of the other groups mentioned in the OP but I do know there are many gov agencies that have LE divisions.

Your local LE guys (Sheriffs, city Police Departments, Constables, etc) are not trained to investigate federal crimes. That's where the Federal LE guys step in.

Does the Government plan on using guns to force us to pay taxes, obey animal and plant regulations, etc.?

With regard to criminal violations of such rules and regulations, yes. Yes they do.

[Lakota]

Walked into a Social Security (Federal US government) office in a suburban strip mall this week. Surprised to see that it was a hardened office. The teller windows (total of eight) that they called you to had bullet proof glass an inch thick. Had to pass my paperwork through a security slot.

As I waited, I saw a uniformed female armed guard walk into the back office, where I guess she was stationed.

The US Veteran Administration Hospital's have their own Police Force. When they didn't have one in the 60's and 70's during the Vietnam War they had problems. Many GI's in the hospital were hooked on illegal drugs and had compensation money. Drug dealers would sell there products to those who wanted it. They intimidated the hospital staff.

At the time only the FBI had LE at the hospitals since they were US Property and they couldn't spare the manpower to do it.

[VatorMan]

You totally forgot about DOE- Dept. Of Energy. Keepers of nuclear weapons movement.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

for the years 2006-2014. It spent another $1.5M for 2015-2016. The IRS has 2,316 special agents; that's about $5,000 per agent. Over the same period, the number of special agents the IRS employed declined from more than 3,000 to just about 2,000 in 2014.

The Environmental Protection Agency, The Department of Veterans Affairs, The Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service, are also purchasing guns and ammunition gear.

https://www.openthebooks.com/the_dai...past_10_years/

None of these are law enforcement agencies. Does the Government plan on using guns to force us to pay taxes, obey animal and plant regulations, etc.?

Spence, every single thing the government does is at the threat of gunpoint for non compliance. We don't see it that way, because most of us are compliant and observe the laws, but non compliance will, if push comes to shove, always end up with government agents with guns showing up to enforce whatever law it is that is in question.

Is your grass too high? Your city will fine you, and eventually hire a crew to cut your grass. If you resist the grass cutters trespassing, you get....men with guns. If you don't pay the fine, eventually, the government forecloses on your house, and you get evicted by.....men with guns.

Just because we have the niceties of polite society, lurking back in the dark resources, the government rules by implied force.

[markids77]

Maybe; just maybe the IRS pays its staff to actually train and shoot with the weapons they are issued so if TSHTF their agents don't fire 60 odd rounds at a single perpetrator... and miss. I would be OK with a 5K per agent per year expenditure if they learned tactics and marksmanship in "real life" type scenarios.

What I am afraid of though is those "guns and ammo" funds are largely diverted to other uses; like first class travel for all, and posh suites for everybody while out "in the field".