U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) introduced the Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act on Monday.
The bill:
- Prohibits the IRS from using appropriated funds to purchase, receive, or store any firearm or ammunition
- Requires the IRS to transfer to the GSA any firearms or ammunition owned or under the control of the IRS
- Within 30 days of transfer, GSA must initiate the sale or auction of any firearms to licensed dealers and the auction of any ammo to the general public
Moore told 1819 News on Monday, “We’re going to try to force them to get rid of the ammunition and weapons they’ve bought since 2020.”
“They bought protective armor for their agents and all. This was shortly after the Inflation Reduction Act passed which hired 87,000 new IRS agents under Nancy Pelosi. As I was out doing my town halls in 2021, the number one concern was the weaponization of government. The fear was palpable because they arrested a lot of January 6 people, the elections were in question. The fact that we were going to arm IRS agents who really just have civil responsibilities…if it’s a criminal issue it’s to go over to the DOJ because these agencies have been weaponized,” Moore said. “Our thoughts are: why in the world do IRS agents, the 87,000 new agents, need body armor, weapons, and the storage of ammunition. That’s the kind of thing that concerns my voters, it concerns many people across the country. So we’re like, ‘No, we’re not just going to allow them to stockpile $10 million worth of (armor, weapons, and ammunition)’...which is what they’ve bought since 2020 and have that as some sort of another armed agency for the federal government. “
He continued, “We want to see agents disarmed as soon as possible.”
“With the direction DOGE is going on cutting spending and the way that we’re trying to eliminate some of the bureaucracies that are unelected bureaucrats that are coming after the taxpayer. I think there’s an appetite for that in DC and I think the president would certainly support it. We’re moving in that direction. We feel cautiously optimistic with the current environment in DC that we can do this while we have the House and the Senate,” Moore added.
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