'Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act' Seeks to Strip Guns and Ammo from Agency

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A newly introduced bill in the U.S. House of Representatives aims to strip the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of its stockpile of firearms and ammunition, returning federal law enforcement responsibilities to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The measure, introduced by Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL), is titled the “Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act.”

The bill—filed as H.R. 4436—would prohibit the IRS from purchasing, receiving, or storing any firearms or ammunition. It also mandates that all firearms and ammunition currently under the IRS’s control be transferred to the General Services Administration within 120 days of enactment. The GSA would then be required to auction these assets off, with the proceeds directed toward reducing the national deficit.

Further, the legislation proposes a restructuring of criminal tax enforcement. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division, along with its personnel, responsibilities, and resources, would be transferred to the DOJ, where it would be housed as a distinct entity within the department’s Criminal Division. This change would ensure that tax-related criminal investigations are handled by federal law enforcement agencies traditionally tasked with such duties, rather than an armed tax agency.

Rep. Moore has argued that arming tax agents creates unnecessary militarization of government agencies that should not be in the business of policing citizens. “There is no reason tax collectors should be armed while millions of law-abiding Americans are forced to defend their Second Amendment rights,” Moore stated upon introducing the bill.

The bill reflects growing concern among lawmakers and citizens about the expansion of federal agency law enforcement powers beyond traditional policing entities. With Americans increasingly scrutinizing the size, scope, and armament of non-law-enforcement federal agencies, this legislation addresses a key point of contention.

Supporters of this bill see it as a positive step toward government accountability and a reaffirmation that law enforcement duties belong in the hands of dedicated justice agencies—not tax collectors. It also sends a strong message that the right to keep and bear arms belongs to the people, not bureaucratic agencies.

By disarming the IRS and restoring its core mission to revenue collection rather than law enforcement, this bill helps maintain proper boundaries between agencies and upholds the principle that enforcement should remain with those trained and constitutionally designated to do so.