Data shows the IRS has a long track record of misusing service weapons and proper required training for agents using them.
QUICK FACTS:
- A report conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) revealed agents working for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) accidentally fired their weapons more often than they intentionally used them.
- Americans for Tax Reform, a conservative U.S. advocacy group, covered the report in Aug 2021 in a piece titled “IRS Agents Accidentally Discharged Guns More Often than They Intentionally Fired Them.”
- “According to documentation provided by all 26 CI field offices, the NCITA, and the TICTA OI, there were a total of eight firearm discharges classified as intentional use of force incidents and 11 discharges classified as accidental during FYs 2009 through 2011,” the report reads.
- Despite the importance of agents being properly trained with handling firearms, TIGTA could not determine if agencies always conducted training: “We could not always determine if the field offices conducted the required training or if all special agents participated in the necessary training because field office supporting documentation varied among the locations,” TIGTA continued.
- TIGTA’s report also found 24 special agents who did not meet the requirement to use a concealed weapon and 48 special agents not qualifying while wearing warrant service apparel.
- “Considering the gravity of carrying and using a firearm, there should be no margin for error in the firearms training and certification program,” TIGTA indicates. “By not having effective procedures to ensure special agents are qualified to carry and use a firearm when needed, CI risks endangering other special agents and the public.”
- “In addition, the IRS could be held liable for injuries or damage resulting from special agents using a firearm who have not met the required qualifications,” the report went on to say.
REPORT REVEALING IRS MISUSE OF FIREARMS:
“In three of the four accidental discharges that were not reported, the accidental discharges may have resulted in property damage or personal injury,” TIGTA reported.
BACKGROUND:
- According to federal requirements, IRS agents must complete handgun firing training at least once a quarter, and participate in biannual firearms building entry exercises in order to use or carry an IRS-owned weapon: “All IRS-owned firearms must be inspected prior to issuance, and annually thereafter, by a firearm instructor who has completed armorer training and is currently certified by the manufacturer or an IRS-authorized gunsmith to ensure each weapon is safe for use and in good operating condition,” the IRS website states.
- The Biden admin recently announced it would be hiring 87,000 new IRS agents, the agency listing now-deleted job postings seeking criminal investigators willing to “carry a firearm” and “use deadly force.”
Jon Fleetwood contributed to this story.
