I wonder just who they're buying it for (if the plan is to distribute it) or if they're storing it to create a shortage. Weaponized IRS has just taken on a new meaning. I don't know about the legalities of this, but it seems like a rather suspicious purchase for a tax collecting organization.
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Really? At 50 cents per bullet (9 mm), that equates to 1.4 million bullets. I'm sure there's a discount too that would set that number perhaps to 2.5 million bullets.
Your concept of "isn't all that much ammo" doesn't seem logical to me at all.
If it was to benefit "someone" for political payback I'd wholly agree with you. This is most likely not the case here. Obama did the same thing with multiple federal agencies buying up ammo, including the Environmental Agency and the US Post office that clearly didn't have a police force function. Obama's buy up was to purchase the entire supply and drive the price of ammo way up. At the same time, Operation Fast n Furious was being implemented. All of this came crashing down when Fast-n-n-furious was exposed. What we are seeing here is 'Act' 2. I bet Operation Fast-n-Furious is back on track.
Show me where you can get 9mm for .50 cents a round right now.
Look on-line. I just bought a box of 50 for about that amount.
https://www.ammunitiondepot.com/search?q=9mm
Distribute that allotment across field agents, who are paid to be proficient and MUST go to the range to demonstrate proficiency, as well as practice proficiency at least weekly.
Back in the day, I would burn 200 rounds a week - AVERAGE - with some weeks bumping towards 500 rounds (rare, but fun). I am just an ordinary joe, that enjoys shooting distance. The more you do anything, the better you get at it.
This seems like a rational weekly budget for ammo, for just range time; for an agency with ~500 agents or less. I doubt we would get much argument from having your local cops shooting 100+ rounds a week at the range, so when they did have to draw their weapon - every round hit near the target.
It is a small percentage of IRS that actually carries a weapon. This is why the local police, Sheriff's department, and/or the FBI is recruited for arresting someone for IRS matters. Unfortunately, this isn't "back in the day either". $700,000 still buys a lot of 9 mm bullets. I'm refusing to underestimate the significance of the purchase.
Then again, I've always been troubled by the IRS having the right to carry any weapons.
I agree with you statement, that a small percentage of the IRS actually carries a weapon. That's why I gave the 500 number; that would be 10 agents per state; which I think is fairly conservative.
$700K buys a lot of 9mm, but I expect there to be a variety of calibers, with some of the more specialized calibers being a bit more expensive than the garden variety 9mm FMJ. I would think that sniper practice rounds would all be Match Grade, because precision counts - and those can be a few bucks each.
I really do see your point here. And it is your prerogative and perception, which I duly respect. We can disagree on what constitutes a lot of ammunition. However, your newest post is not plausible. Since when did the IRS get their own militarized SWAT teams? As far as I can tell, they haven't any. This is why they always call the FBI and the Sheriff's department for muscle. It's not the IRS. I have never seen the IRS carry more than holstered handgun. Long guns are really outside their purview.