Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa has introduced a bill that seeks to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from utilizing taxpayer money to acquire, possess or store firearms and ammunition. In a statement, Senator Ernst’s office cited an OpenTheBooks report which indicated that the agency has already spent millions of taxpayer money on firearms such as AR-15-style rifles, semi-automatic shotguns, and submachine guns. As per the bill’s proposed stipulations, firearms and ammunition currently held by the IRS would be transferred to the General Services Administration to be auctioned.
The bill, if passed, would also relocate the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS, which is responsible for the collection of tax liabilities and the enforcement of tax laws, to the Department of Justice. The motive behind the proposed bill is to ensure that taxpayer funds are not being allocated for the purchasing of firearms by federal agencies. These actions are a response to President Biden’s proposal to grow the IRS, which GOP members assert would require the hiring of 87,000 new employees over the subsequent ten years with an $80 billion fund.
Critics of the bill argue that irrespective of the proposed bill, the scope of the IRS’s authority to carry firearms is already limited. They assert that the Criminal Investigation Division’s role in driving and enforcing tax laws requires possessing firearms to ensure the safety of the employees. They argue that the proposed bill would only serve to harm their safety and the ability to protect the public from malicious tax evasion.
In contrast, proponents of the bill assert that funds must be allocated more wisely in terms of firearm allocation, with millions of taxpayer’s money already streaming into the agency’s armory. They consider that the redistribution of firearms to other federal bodies such as the Department of Justice will not impact the application of tax laws and enforcement by the Criminal Investigation Division.
The bill’s future is still unknown, but it invites a conversation about the role of firearms and taxpayer money, and those conversations will likely continue to intensify as the U.S. government attempts to balance its budget amidst growing fiscal concerns.
