The FDA is stockpiling military weapons — and it’s not alone

[sarisataka]

AMERICA’S GUN CULTURE has been a subject of intense interest and controversy for years, with concerns frequently raised about shadowy militias, paramilitary extremists, and unstable zealots in possession of alarming quantities of explosives and firearms.

Amid the current din over assault weapons and body armor, consider one domestic organization’s fearsome arsenal of military-style equipment.


In the space of eight years, the group amassed a stockpile of pistols, shotguns, and semiautomatic rifles, along with ample supplies of ammunition, liquid explosives, gun scopes, and suppressors. In its cache as well are night-vision goggles, gas cannons, plus armored vests, drones, and surveillance equipment. Between 2006 and 2014, this organization spent nearly $4.8 million to arm itself. Yet its aggressive weapons buildup has drawn almost no public attention.

Does all this firepower belong to a jihadist terror cell? A right-wing hate group? A vicious urban gang?

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/06/25/the-fda-stockpiling-military-weapons-and-not-alone/iGbHhnnkTbsSMnnO23obiI/story.html

[Recursion]

1. Every agency has armed agents to enforce laws

Not sure why this news keeps surprising people.

[sarisataka]

2. The Investigative and Enforcement Services

of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is about 140 Field Inspectors and staff. $4.8 million is $34,285 and change to arm each and every person, including the receptionist. That is a lot of firepower to check up on animal and plant health...

Yes agencies need enforcement agents. Does the government need more armed enforcers than the USMC has Marines?

[Recursion]

6. USDA also has armed people in Afghanistan

to help farmers grow stuff other than poppies. And they have security agents for their foreign missions.

Plus, for all of these agencies, think of every building they own and how many armed guards that is.

[1939]

20. Most of the armed guards at US govt buildings are Rent-a-Cops. NT

[pinboy3niner]

21. Can you link to a link to a source for that?

[Recursion]

22. Not "most", and the rent-a-cops that are used don't buy their own guns

And like I said, it's not at all clear how broad "military equipment" is as a rubric. Does that include the gas masks many Federal offices have?

[Mojorabbit]

3. That is some big money. nt

[Recursion]

4. Maybe? I have no idea what it's for

The VA in particular seems huge but they also may have a lot of stuff that classifies as "military" for some technical reason or another (AFAIK they do very little enforcement, though they have a metric ton of facilities to guard).

[yeoman6987]

5. IRS? Good grief. Can you imagine?

You owe 10 dollars put your hands up. Absolutely no reason they need 10 million dollars worth of military equipment. I thought they were paper pushers. Isn't this what the 2nd amendment is about? Out of control government? Take away citizen guns while government has a ton?

[Recursion]

7. That's more about guards to keep Sovereign Citizen yahoos

from storming field offices and killing everyone.

[yeoman6987]

8. I hope so. That seems excessive.

[Recursion]

9. It's also not clear how broad "military equipment" is

Most Federal offices have flak jackets and gas masks, for instance. Does that count?

[JHB]

16. Not necessarily. It's over 8 years, they have over 2000 special agents...

...(click through to the actual report to dig up the figures).

It works out to a little under $600 per agent per year. And that's if the sum went entirely to special agents.

[Initech]

40. They probably need it to protect themselves from Scientology.

[Scientific]

18. Story not about FDA. About "Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" of USDA

Which is peculiar.

Really crappy headline. I saw no mention of the FDA at all. Maybe I missed it. But I did see specific mention of the USDA's "Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" named as the agency stocking up on munitions.

Just more right-wing propaganda from Jacoby? OK, this story sure has that kind of feel. But still, you have to wonder WTF? What is the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service doing with the arms?

[Recursion]

19. USDA spends so much overall because it has armed teams in Afghanistan

That's who's doing the poppy reclamation stuff.

[Scientific]

43. You think Jacoby might have mentioned that in his article

For right wing hacks, yet another "Inconvenient Truth"

[Surya Gayatri]

25. Food and Drug Administration: $ 815,000

[Major Nikon]

41. Which amounts to $90K per year

Not sure how many tanks they could buy with that.

[underahedgerow]

23. Yeah, I fail to see the shock value of the US gov't spending less than 3 million a year

to arm its agents, especially because everyone ELSE in the USA is apparently armed to the teeth.

Unless they're in schools, churches, movie theaters, abortion clinics and local public offices of course.

Just sayin'.

[JonathanRackham]

10. God bless our police state.

Who's that knocking at my door?

[Feeling the Bern]

11. The new pledge

I pledge allegiance to the Police States of America
And to the badges that are above the law
One nation, under Republican God,
Completely divided
With rap sheets and prison sentences for all.

[JonathanRackham]

12. If you're not guilty today.

We'll criminalize it tomorrow.

[Feeling the Bern]

13. USA: Come on vacation, leave on probation.

[pinboy3niner]

14. Don't fall for the RW spin on this

It's the RW blogosphere and militia and gun groups that periodically pullicize this crap as some kind of nefarious government activity.

Ironically, it's RW anti-government activity that creates a need for increased security at federal agencies and facilities.

There is plenty of room for legitimate criticism of government militarization at all levels, but this distorted and hyperbolic crap should be seen for what it is.

[Surya Gayatri]

26. ^^^Exactly!^^^

Ironically, it's RW anti-government activity that creates a need for increased security at federal agencies and facilities.

[JonathanRackham]

33. Old article on government watch list.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/marshals-innocent-people-placed-on-watch-list-to-meet-quota

I don't think it's a left wing, right thing any more. Internally the federal government has run amok. Edward Snowden jus broke the news. The bureaucrats need to be reined in.

[pinboy3niner]

35. This crap is just RW scaremongering

It has nothing to do with watch lists.

[JonathanRackham]

36. When did ABC become right wing?

I could see this shit on FOX but ABC?

Snowden helped validate all this as well.

[pinboy3niner]

37. You're missing the justifiable security reasons for these expenditures

Read upthread for Recursion's posts debunking this nonsense.

[JonathanRackham]

38. Wrong way to run a government.

USDA should use US Marshalls or FBI to enforce laws if needed. Every damn agency does not need more "gunz". Logistically they can't keep track of their equipment. It's a game of escalation.

Enforcing laws at gunpoint? Isn't that like "stand your ground" for the bureaucrats?

Addendum: The government bureaucrats are as nuts as the right wing militia type, they feed off of and enable one another.

[pinboy3niner]

39. I wouldn't call guarding federal facilities "enforcement"

With the increase in anti-governent groups and threats against government agencies it would be irresponible not to protect them.

Are you seriously buying this BS about the government arming-up against you? That's what the RW, militias and gun groups use to fire up their troops to arm up against our ""tyrannical" government. Of course, having a black president has nothing to do with it...

[Major Nikon]

42. The author of the OP is a wingnut

The MoonieTimes, Alex Fucking Jones, and all the other wingnutbags are making a big deal about it.

The FDA's $815,000 over 9 years amounts to $90K per year to arm law enforcement agents working for an agency that enforces regulations which regulate about 1/4 of all consumer spending in the US.

[Hoyt]

15. To some degree it's necessary when the citizenry is arming up.

[pinboy3niner]

17. OMG! The Food and Drug Administration is coming for our guns!1!!

Who believes this crap?

[ileus]

24. As long as it's the good guys we don't mind.

You see all those guns can be used against our real enemy....the people who don't agree with us.

[vintx]

28. lol

Thanks for that

[pinboy3niner]

30. Courage, my friend. We're gonna name a rock afer you.

[pinboy3niner]

32. But we already made the stencil