Politics

Obama’s America: Gun toting paper-pushers now outnumber US Marines

Outnumbered by paper pushers with guns.
Outnumbered by paper pushers with guns.

Ronald Reagan once quipped that nine of the most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” Yet if The Great Communicator were alive today he very well may tack on four more words to his anxiety inducing salutation, “… and I’m heavily armed.” As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, there are actually more armed federal bureaucrats than US Marines. Citing a report issued by a taxpayer watchdog group, of the nation’s 182,100 Marines, they are actually outnumbered by 200,000 paper-pushers with guns.

According to a report entitled the Militarization of America commissioned by the citizens advocacy group “Open the Books,” just one of the few but disconcerting totals coming to light are raising eyebrows. Federal agencies have, for example, spent $8.2 million on buckshot; $1.6 million on unmanned aircraft; and a curious $4 million on grenades and grenade launchers.

Specifically, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) alone has purchases of guns, ammunition and other military-style equipment from 2006-2014 that’s been tallied up at a whopping $10,711,792.17. The good folks at the IRS have been dropping a veritable treasure trove of taxpayer dollars on three different models of .40 caliber Glock pistols, two different models of Remington shotguns, and finally, both a Heckler & Koch and Smith & Wesson versions of the Armalite AR-15 semi-automatic 5.56mm NATO round carbine.

Another worrisome expenditure was the almost $5 million allotted to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) from 2006-2014 for “guns, ammunition and military-style equipment.” Examples of weaponry and equipment purchased include Bennelli shotguns, Ruger pistols, Tactical PredatOBR 7.62mm Custom Semi-Automatic Rifles, ballistic vests, and various night vision and/or infrared vision devices.

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As reported by Harrington, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has dropped a cool $3.1 million on “guns, ammo, and equipment, including drones, night vision, camouflage and other deceptive equipment, and body armor.” However, EPA spokesman Nick Conger blasted the report.

Conger claimed the report “cherry picks information and falsely misrepresents the work of two administrations whose job is to protect public health.” The government spokesman further stated, “EPA’s criminal enforcement program has not purchased unmanned aircraft, and the assertions that military-grade weapons are part of its work are false.”

However, in a June 23 update to Harrington’s article, “Adam Andrzejewski, the CEO of Open the Books who wrote the report, pushed back against the EPA’s statement, and provided contract data to back up his claims. “How can the EPA spokesperson deny hard facts from their own checkbook?” he said.

“Alongside our oversight report, OpenTheBooks.com also released a PDF of all raw data. This line-by-line transactional record from the EPA’s own checkbook on page 113 clearly shows that in 2013 and 2014 the EPA purchased tens of thousands of dollars of ‘Unmanned Aircraft’ from Bergen RC Helicopters Inc which on a net basis amounted to approximately $34,000.””

As far as the feds themselves are concerned, the Department of Justice issued a report that was widely ignored by the American media entitled Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2008. According to the DoJ study, federal agencies employing 250 or more full-time personnel with arrest and firearm authority are as follows:

  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Federal Bureau of Prisons
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  • U.S. Secret Service
  • Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
  • Drug Enforcement Administration
  • U.S. Marshals Service
  • Veterans Health Administration
  • Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation
  • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
  • U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • U.S. Capitol Police
  • National Park Service – Rangers
  • Bureau of Diplomatic Security
  • Pentagon Force Protection Agency
  • U.S. Forest Service
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • National Park Service – U.S. Park Police
  • National Nuclear Security Administration
  • U.S. Mint Police
  • Amtrak Police
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs
  • Bureau of Land Management

Federal agencies employing fewer than 250 full-time personnel with arrest and firearm authority are as follows:

  • Bureau of Engraving and Printing
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • Food and Drug Administration
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
  • Federal Reserve Board
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • Bureau of Industry and Security
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Library of Congress
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Government Printing Office
  • National Institute of Standards & Technology
  • Smithsonian National Zoological Park
  • Bureau of Reclamation

Offices of inspectors general employing full-time personnel with arrest and firearm authority are as follows:

  • U.S. Postal Service
  • Department of Health and Human Services
  • Department of Defense
  • Department of the Treasury, Tax Administration
  • Social Security Administration
  • Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • Department of Agriculture
  • Department of Labor
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Department of Justice
  • Department of Transportation
  • Department of Education
  • General Services Administration
  • Department of the Interior
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Department of Energy
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
  • Small Business Administration
  • Department of State
  • Office of Personnel Management
  • Department of the Treasury
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
  • Department of Commerce
  • U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
  • Agency for International Development
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • Corporation for National and Community Service
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Archives and Records Administration
  • Government Printing Office
  • Library of Congress

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