BY ROY FRANCIS
SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/republican-sounds-alarm-on-irs-spending-millions-on-weapons-and-tactical-gear/;
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.
OAN’s
Roy Francis 11:25 AM – Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Representative Stephanie Bice has demanded a full accounting from the Internal Revenue Service, saying that the nearly $10 million spent by the agency on weapons and tactical gear since 2020 is “concerning.”
In a letter addressed to the IRS Commissioner, Daniel Werfel, Bice (R-Okla.) said that “the increasing militarization of the IRS is of growing concern.”
“I write to you today to express my concerns regarding the increased rate of weapon purchases by the Internal Revenue Service,” the letter said. “While I recognize the Criminal Investigation division has a law enforcement role, recent reports have indicated that the IRS has made substantial purchases of weaponry and tactical gear. As a civilian agency whose stated mission is to ‘Provide America’s taxpayers top-quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all,’ the increasing militarization of the IRS is of growing concern.”
Since 2006, the IRS has spent over $35 million on weapons and tactical gear, with over $10 million being spent since 2020 alone.
A report released in April by the watchdog group, OpenTheBooks, which tracks government spending showed that the IRS has spent around $2.3 million on ammunition, $1.2 million on ballistic shields, $474,000 on Smith and Wesson rifles, $463,000 on Beretta 1301 tactical shotguns, and $243,000 on body armor. The report also showed $1.3 million which was spent on “various other gear for criminal investigation agents.”
The mission of the IRS according to their website is “to provide America’s taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and to enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all.”
However, the agency has loaded up on hundreds of thousands worth of tactical lighting, gear bags, holsters, ballistic helmets, and optic sights for the weapons that they have purchased since the pandemic. Before 2020, the IRS had already stockpiled over five million rounds of ammunition for its special agents, which number a little over 2,000.
The IRS also owned over 4,500 firearms which include pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns, semi-automatic rifles, and submachine guns.
According to the agency, new applicants must be willing “carry a firearm; must be prepared to protect him/herself or others from physical attacks at any time and without warning and use firearms in life-threatening situations; must be willing to use force up to and including the use of deadly force.”
According to OpenTheBooks, there are now “more federal agents with arrest and firearm authority (200,000) than U.S. Marines (186,000).”
In 2022, President Joe Biden gave the agency over $80 billion in new funding as part of his $739 billion Inflation Reduction Act.
Bice quoted the findings by OpenTheBooks and asked the IRS commissioner to respond within five business days and provide “information on the account(s) the IRS has used to purchase such weapons, gear, and ammunition.”
She also asked the commissioner to provide “data on the quantity and type(s) of items listed below in possession of the IRS: Weapons, Weapon systems, Ammunition, Explosive devices, Armored vehicles, Drones/UAVs, Chemical weapons (tear gas and other calming agents.)”
The Republican ended her letter by saying that it is “important for Congress to conduct thorough oversight of IRS, and the American people deserve to have a full accounting of these recent events.”
“We need to know exactly the types and quantities of weapons and ammunition the IRS has in their possession. If the IRS fails to provide a response to Congressional oversight, I will pursue further actions to hold them accountable,” Brice told Fox News.
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Oklahoma Congresswoman Stephanie Bice Begins Inquiry Into IRS Militarization
BY ALAN GOTTLIEB
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/07/oklahoma-congresswoman-stephanie-bice-begins-inquiry-into-irs-militarization;
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today applauded Oklahoma Congresswoman Stephanie Bice for requesting information from the Internal Revenue Service about the weapons and accessories it has purchased in recent years, turning the tax agency into what appears to be a quasi-military operation.
Rep. Bice sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, inquiring about the account(s) IRS used to purchase “weapons, gear, and ammunition,” and “data on the types of modifications to IRS-issued weapons that have been approved…” She has asked for a reply within five business days.
“Congresswoman Bice isn’t the only one who wants some answers,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb.
“As we noted more than a month ago, the IRS has reportedly spent $2.3 million on ammunition, nearly $475,000 on Smith & Wesson rifles, another $463,000 for Beretta tactical shotguns, and $1.2 million on ballistic shields. We would very much like to know what’s going on here, and so would our members.”
Gottlieb recalled Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms became interested when U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced legislation in June dubbed the “Why Does the IRS Have Guns Act.” About the same time, published reports revealed the agency has spent tens of millions of dollars on firearms and equipment for several years, with the pace apparently picking up after Joe Biden took office.
“Last month,” he said,” we supported Sen. Joni Ernst when she announced legislation to disarm the IRS, and likewise we support Rep. Bice in her effort to get the facts. The IRS has some explaining to do, and so does the Biden administration. For a president who wants to restrict the gun rights of law-abiding American citizens, Biden sure seems keen on having federal agencies armed to the teeth.
“We are hopeful Rep. Bice gets all the information she’s requested,” Gottlieb added, “so she can share it with the taxpayers whose money has been spent on all of this hardware. If IRS Commissioner Werfel isn’t forthcoming with the information, the public and Congress should start asking why.”
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.