IRS Needs AR-15′s For “Standoff Capabilities”?

The IRS, which primarily acts as an audit agency, refuses to answer why its agents need AR-15s for “standoff capability.”
In May, U.S. Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) was getting a lot of questions about ammo shortages and government agencies stockpiling guns and ammo. He wanted to know why IRS agents were buying ammo in large quantities and wanted to see the ammo supply himself.  He went to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Maryland where he witnessed 8 or 9 IRS agents using AR-15s at an indoor 100 yard firing range.

Duncan questioned why IRS agents needed to be trained with AR-15 military rifles with 30 round magazines for “standoff capability” and why the IRS couldn’t use agencies like the U.S. Marshals to assist them when needed.
BenSwann.com asked Duncan if the IRS offered him any new information regarding his investigation.
“The IRS has not been cooperative. My committee doesn’t have direct oversight over the IRS so I’ve been trying to build support for an investigation. The IRS has not shown me any information on why they need to train with AR-15′s,” Duncan said.
The IRS is not the only federal agency stocking up tactical weapons and training for paramilitary raids.
In 2011, the Department of Education’s SWAT team raided Kenneth Wright’s home because of a search warrant regarding his ex-wife (who no longer lived at the home).* At 6am, SWAT broke through the door and dragged Wright by the neck to his front lawn and held him and his children at gun point. See video.
According to the Washington Post, right after the federal government took over the student aid program, the Department of Education began to acquire tactical weapons like Remington’s 870 police 12-gauge shotgun.
Agencies like the Department of Education, the Social Security Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Internal Revenue Service continue to purchase large amounts of tactical weapons and ammunition to build up their law enforcement divisions.

Steve Hoffman, the Southeast Regional Director for the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) told BenSwann.com his thoughts on IRS agents training with AR-15s.
“This just as bad as the Dept. of Education actually having agents who are on armed and trained with AR-15s. Both are symptoms of a federal government that is out of control and whose powers have grown well beyond those outlined in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution,”Hoffman said.
Congressman Duncan agrees.
When asked if the Department of Education should have a law enforcement division or SWAT team to investigate Americans regarding their student loans Duncan said,
“Absolutely not, that’s the whole concern with the IRS. Do they need a SWAT team to make sure you’ve paid your taxes?”
Duncan wants answers. He is investigating why the IRS and the Department of Education needs to have their own law enforcement division, and why they need tactical and paramilitary training at the FLETC. He expects to find more answers at his next subcommittee hearing.

*The U.S. Department of Education’s spokesman Justin Hamilton would not say specifically why the raid took place except that it was part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

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