By Adam Andrzejewski, CEO/Founder, OpenTheBooks.com

Read original article at Substack.

 

TOPLINE

Big Spend: Since 2006, 103 rank-and-file agencies outside of the Department of Defense (DOD) spent $3.7 billion on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment (inflation adjusted to CPI). 27 of those agencies are traditional law enforcement under the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

 

However, 76 agencies are pencil-pushing, regulatory agencies, i.e. Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Social Security Administration (SSA), Veterans Affairs (VA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and many others.

 

Headcounts: There are now more federal agents with arrest and firearm authority (200,000) than U.S. Marines (186,000).

 

 

CASE STUDY: IRS
All numbers updated through March 31, 2023

 

Since 2006, the IRS spent $35.2 million on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment (CPI adjusted). The years 2020 and 2021 were peak years at the IRS for purchasing weaponry and gear. Just since the pandemic started, the IRS has purchased $10 million in weaponry and gear. (See chart below.)

 

Special agent head counts: nearly 2,100 special agents. Recently, the IRS chief testified that they are adding 600 new positions (20,000 new hires with 3% ratio of special agents this year). Based on headcount, the IRS ranks in the equivalent of the top 50 largest of 12,261 police departments across the country.

 

Uproar over the IRS Special Agent job posting: In August 2022, IRS posted a job description for Special Agent and a position requirement was the willingness to use “deadly force.” The description went viral on the internet and the “deadly force” language was edited out. However, today, that language is back in the online job posting.

 

Gun Locker (Pre-2020): the IRS owned 4,500 guns and 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 Smith &Wesson M&P AR-15 and H&K rifles — the very same guns that some politicians want banned in the private-sector.

 

Purchases since 2020: $10 million

The agency made notable purchases of the following items:

• $2.5 million on ballistic shields ($1.2 million) and ‘various other gear for criminal investigation agents” ($1.3 million)
• $1.3 million on duty tactical lighting ($467,000), tactical gear bags ($354,000), ballistic helmets ($267,000), and body armor vests ($243,000)
• Nearly $1 million on Smith & Wesson rifles ($474,000) and Beretta 1301 tactical shotguns ($463,000)
• Purchased 3,000 units of optics compatible tactical holsters for weapons with optical sights and weapons lighting systems.

 

The Critics:

Friday on Fox Business, Larry Kudlow called for disarming the IRS based on our findings. Regular Americans have a right to be concerned when the IRS is armed to the teeth and the lines between general administrative agencies and criminal law enforcement agencies are blurred.

 

For example, earlier this year, Matt Taibbi, a journalist on the Twitter Files, received a visit from an IRS agent at home the same day of his Congressional testimony.

 

IRS Statement: Responding to our request for comment in 2021 on the purchase of guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment over the years. (CI=Criminal Investigation)

 

“CI 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. 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.”

 

BACKGROUND

The Alarming Arsenal Behind The IRS, EPA, HHS, and more | Sean Hannity Radio interview with Adam Andrzejewski, CEO OpenTheBooks.com | April 26, 2023

 

Why Does The IRS Need Guns? | Wall Street Journal | June 17, 2016
By Adam Andrzejewski & Dr. Tom Coburn

 

Why Have President Trump’s Regulatory Agencies Stockpiled So Much Firepower? | Forbes | February 27, 2019 By Adam Andrzejewski

 

The Militarization of the U.S. Federal Executive Agencies | January 2021

OpenTheBooks Oversight Report, with data through 2019

 

ABOUT US

OpenTheBooks.com – We believe transparency is transformational. Using forensic auditing and open records, we hold government accountable.

 

In the years 2021 and 2022, we filed 100,000 FOIA requests and successfully captured $19 trillion government expenditures: nearly all federal spending; 50 state checkbooks; and 25 million public employee salary and pension records from 50,000 public bodies across America.

 

Our works have been featured at the BBC, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, C-SPAN, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, NBC News, FOX News, Forbes, National Public Radio (NPR), Sinclair Broadcast Group, & many others.

 

Our organization accepts no government funding and was founded by CEO Adam Andrzejewski. Our federal oversight work was cited twice in the President's Budget To Congress FY2021. Andrzejewski's presentation, The Depth of the Swamp, at the Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar 2020 in Naples, Florida posted on YouTube received 3.8 million views.

 

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