An US congressman is asking why IRS agents are training to use AR-15 rifles in the field.
Representative Jeff Duncan, Republican from South Carolina, was prompted to ask this question after touring a federal law enforcement facility, as a chairman on the House Homeland Security oversight subcommittee.
There he saw several people training with semiautomatic AR-15 rifles. When asked, the agents identified themselves as IRS. The congressman tweeted how this observation had been bothering him, breaking the news earlier this week.
In a recent interview, Rep. Jeff Duncan explains his concerns :
“I think Americans raise eyebrows when you tell that IRS agents are training with a type of weapon that has stand-off capability. It’s not like they’re carrying a sidearm and they knock on someone’s door and say, ‘You’re evading your taxes.’”
Between the recent accusations leveled against the IRS regarding the targeting of political groups and leaks last week revealing top secret intelligence gathering programs lead by the NSA,
In the wake of the accusations of scandal at the IRS and last week’s leaks regarding top secret NSA data gathering programs, causing some to question the current state of government authority and initiating a debate about where the line on that must be drawn.
Word of IRS agents, typically thought of as auditors and desk-bound paper workers, training with such weaponry is only adding fuel concerns about government overreach.
@ repjeffduncan @ aidf911 Surprised? A need for the IRS or EPA needing use of deadly force training is in step w/Obama’s rogue government.
— Summer Hawkes (@SummerAnnHawkes) June 12, 2013
In response, the IRS has defended the training, explaining that their training is no different than other law enforcement agencies. They also stated that standard oversight measures were in place.
The IRS also explained that the agency investigates and arrests criminals who engage in crimes like money laundering and drug trafficking, situations that may require the AR-15.
The video below features an interview with US congressman Jeff Duncan and his concern about the IRS training. What do you think? Are these concerns legitimate?
[Image via ShutterStock ]
