2A Newsletter: Week of September 10th
Senate is Back in Session — 2 Bills to Watch Out For
Photo Source: Golden Brown via Shutterstock
This past Tues, September 6th, Senate returned for session and the two bills to watch out for are H.R. 1808 (the new souped up version of what Biden wants to enact as the next federal “assault” weapons ban) and H.R. 8762 - which is actually very interesting (it’s called the “Disarm the IRS Act”).
The time to act and push back against a potential new gun ban is to contact your congressional and state representatives now! It’s never too late to be a part of the grassroots pro-2A movement. All it takes is looking up who your congressional district falls under, who your state senators are and to give them a call, write them an email or both! Let them know that you reject HR 1808 which would obliterate your Second Amendment rights removing several common use firearms from legal purchase and possession and that they should vote NO on the bill.
As for HR 8762, it’s a pretty self-explanatory bill as it has only four real lines and goals:
- Bar the IRS from buying firearms
- Bar the IRS from buying ammunition
- Bar IRS agents from training with firearms
- Bar IRS agents from being armed at all
Why is this important? Well some of you might be thinking, “what was the point of the ATF becoming their own bureau in 1972 if the IRS now plans on becoming the largest armed agency in the country?” Government organizations also need to have checks and balances placed on them with the proper oversight. Is the IRS planning to move from the purview of the Treasury Department to the Justice Department? If not, they better stop this nonsense... right?
Devil’s Advocate and Contextual Background:
Last month, the public was made aware that Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act included an additional $80 billion of funds which would allow the IRS to hire an additional 87,000 employees. Prior to this revelation, we also found out that the IRS had purchased over $700,000 worth of ammunition.
Understandably, people were quite concerned as this was all revealed around the same time news of the FBI’s raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
While it’s important to note the IRS has had an armed Criminal Investigations unit for over a century and that their division currently has less than 2200 agents some simple math can still justify the need for people to take a closer look into this.
According to Politifact, the IRS spent about $725k on ammo in 2022. Apparently, as much as $1.1 million was spent in the year 2011. Their point is that the IRS spending close to a cool mil every year is normal for the IRS. Considering how 9mm used to cost as little as seven to nine cents a round back then it means that this agency has been maintaining an extremely healthy stockpile of ammunition for decades now.
- 2200 Agents x 1000 rounds of 9mm fired annually/agent = $?
- 1000 rounds of 9mm currently costs about $280
- 2200 Agents X $280 = $616,000
Additional facts: The IRS spent $655k in 2021 and $616k in 2020 on ammunition.
So if the IRS CI Division issues 1000 rounds per agent annually to use, train with and carry on duty (a generous guess). That could have left an estimated $109k remaining for additional ammunition in other calibers as well, likely .223 or 5.56mm. For a government agency, these are some pretty healthy hypothetical margins for a budget. And those margins used to be even better before the ammunition shortage and price hikes.
Even if the Inflation Reduction Act’s intention is to fund the IRS’ capability of replenishing their ranks, as they’re anticipating a large of wave of employee attrition along with those who will be eligible for retirement within the next five years, it particularly hurts us civilians who actually shoot regularly because we’re obviously bitter about ammunition availability and pricing. So what’s wrong with being concerned here?
It’s easy to cry out “down with the government!” But the one agency that does not care about your social status, wealth or political allegiance is the IRS. Completely barring the IRS from being able to have ammunition, be able to train with firearms, have guns or be armed at all might not be the most productive strategy. Not when they’re going after a lot of white collar criminals cheating the system.
Let’s not get swept away by people reporting from our side of the political aisle either and remember to fact check everyone. But to be clear, we're of the opinion that any expansion of State agents willing to use deadly force threatens the liberty of all peaceable people. The point of our concern isn't whether the IRS does or does not have a plan to use lethal force in American suburbia, it's the large possibility of how they can.
FBI Secretly Pressured Americans To Waive Away Their Gun Rights
Photo Source: Screenshot/FBI Notes, 2017 Involving Church Incident via Daily Caller
Here’s an agency that has probably had too much of the limelight in recent years…
From 2016 to 2019, the FBI had apparently secretly pressured Americans into “voluntarily” signing their gun rights away. In more legal-speak, their rights to own, buy or even use firearms were completely relinquished.
How did this happen?
At least 15 people were targeted by the FBI for having allegedly made violent threats in online chat rooms, in person or on social media. 
- In an example from 2018, FBI agents in Maine interviewed a high school student who decided to search for hacking advice online on his school-assigned laptop. Agents even unsuccessfully tried to access the student’s Facebook account. Still, the student signed the form.
- In 2017, the FBI received a tip from a Facebook conversation where a man allegedly “threatened to shoot up a church.” The man denied the allegations and said he did not want to kill anyone nor had he ever possessed a firearm or desired to. Regardless, he signed the form as well.
- Also in 2017, a Massachusetts man was arrested for vandalism after breaking several apartment windows he allegedly told the police, “I’m gonna kill all your white cops.” Three months later he was interviewed at a redacted location and was transported to a hospital after he “became agitated, began sweating profusely and complained of muscle pains.” He signed the form at the hospital.
This story was uncovered through a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) by Gun Owners of America (GOA).
We’ve already seen ATF agents show up unannounced and warrantless to demand private citizens’ information on privately owned firearms so this honestly isn’t that far of a stretch.
Robert Olson, outside counsel for GOA had some chilling comments regarding the case, “We’re into a pre-crime, Minority Report type of world where the FBI believes it can take constitutional rights away from anyone it thinks possibly might pose a threat in the future.”
There are a lot of unanswered legal questions here such as why the FBI, Secret Service and Social Security Department uses this form on the down low or how this form may be out of compliance with the GCA (Gun Control Act of 1968). How is it legal to weaponize mental health providers to aid in citizens unknowingly waiving their constitutional rights? Why mislead individuals in this way? The FBI has not made a public comment yet.
NSSF Releases Congressional Report Card
Photo Source: National Shooting Sports Foundation
The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released their 2022 Report Card for all representatives in the House and Senate with regard to how they voted on key gun control legislation.
Unsurprisingly, most Dems received a failing grade. While it’s certainly possible to be a Democrat and be a gun owner, being a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment is statistically far less likely.
That being said you can also use this as a guide to easily weed out the turncoat Republicans who are not voting or representing your beliefs in Congress. Or at the very least, keep up with their track record to hold them accountable come midterm elections.
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