(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – The Internal Revenue Service has paid $10 million on the purchases of guns, ammunition, and “military-style gear” since 2020, according to a report by a government oversight nonprofit.
The revelation comes from Open the Books, a Chicago-based nonprofit watchdog working on government oversight initiatives, as quoted by The New York Post and Breitbart News.
The latest report by Open the Books, “The Militarization of Federal Bureaucracy,” reveals the new IRS gun purchases since 2020 and the arsenal it had amassed before.
“[Before 2020, the tax authority had bought] 4,500 guns and has stockpiled 5 million rounds of ammunition for use by its 2,159 special agents. These figures include 621 pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns, 539 long-barrel rifles, and 15 submachine guns. The IRS purchased buckshot and slugs for their shotguns. The rifles are semi-automatic AR-15 (S&W M&P 15) and military-style H&K 416 rifles,” Open the Books reveals.
It then points out that the tax authority’s arsenal has grown substantially with the $10 million spent on firearms in the past three years.
Thus, according to the watchdog’s data, since 2020, the IRS has bought duty ammunition worth $2.3 million and ballistic shields worth $1.2 million.
It also spent another $1.3 million in taxpayer money on “various other gear for criminal investigation agents” – which the report stresses as a “very non-transparent description.”
Besides those, the IRS has also spent $474,000 on Smith & Wesson rifles, $467,000 on duty tactical lighting, $463,000 on Baretta 1301 tactical shotguns, $354,000 on tactical gear bags, 267,000 on ballistic helmets, and $243,000 on body armor vests.
In addition, American taxpayers also funded the purchases of “3,000 units of optics-compatible tactical holsters for weapons with optical sights and weapons lighting systems.”
The data obtained by Open the Books reveals that since 2006, the Internal Revenue Service paid $35.2 million for firearms, ammunition, and tactical gear.
“CI [Criminal Investigation] special agents have been using weapons throughout their history as they have consistently found themselves investigating the most dangerous criminals involved in organized crime, drugs, and gangs,” the IRS told Open the Books in a statement provided in 2021.
“These types of cases are typically worked in conjunction with other state and federal law enforcement agencies. Firearms and equipment are also used for training purposes. Special agents are required to train and qualify for their weapons and must participate in quarterly trainings to maintain proficiency,” the tax authority added.
Breitbart points out that an August 2022 job listing by the IRS sought Criminal Investigation Special Agents, informing that the applicants must be able to “carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force” as part of their duties.
Another report from last week revealed the IRS was hiring armed agents for jobs in all 50 states.
The IRS has spent $10 million on firearms, ammunition, and “military-style gear” since 2020, the New York Post said on May 2, citing an Open the Books report. https://t.co/sYh6KFl9xk
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 4, 2023
