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IRS Lists Job That Requires Use Of Gun And Possible ‘Deadly Force’

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


A new ad for IRS agents who are able to use deadly force has gotten the attention of many on Twitter and beyond.

A link to the listing for a job titled “Criminal Investigation Special Agents” was temporarily deleted after a firestorm of controversy but is now back online, Fox News reported.

A “key requirement” for applicants is that they have to be “legally allowed to carry a firearm,” and “major duties” include “Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary” and “Be willing and able to participate in arrests, execution of search warrants, and other dangerous assignments,” according to the job posting.

The requirement that agents be willing to use “deadly force, if necessary” drew heated criticism online, although the same language appears in job postings for other law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI.

“The IRS Criminal Investigation special agent job announcement continues to be open on USAJobs and has not/was not taken down. USAJobs is where these positions are posted and where applicants are referred to in order to apply,” a spokesperson for the IRS said to Fox Business.

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“The announcement has been opened since February 2022 and continues through Dec. 31, 2022,” they said.

“For regular taxpayers, as the IRS Commissioner emphasized last week, the result of IRS modernization will be better service and a lower likelihood of audit by an agency that has the infrastructure in place to target enforcement resources where they belong,” Secretary Of The Treasury Janet Yellen said in a tweet that got the attention of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ spokesperson Christina Pushaw.

“Okay, now explain why the IRS is buying ammunition and advertising ‘use of deadly force’ in their job descriptions,” she said.

“The question isn’t, ‘Why is the IRS hiring new armed agents that may need to use deadly force on Americans?’ … It’s, ‘What American would want to work for the IRS as an armed agent that may need to use deadly force on Americans?’” Tim Young said.

“As the House votes Friday to add 87,000 new IRS agents it should know how violent the IRS is becoming: According to the IRS job listing, a ‘Key Requirement’ is: ‘Be legally allowed to carry a firearm.’ ‘Major Duties: Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary,’” former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said.

“Mark my words, the ‘Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force’ part is NOT for the billionaires. It’s for YOU!” Lavern Spicer said.

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“The IRS is hiring new special agents! Requirements include working min ‘50 hours per week, which may include irregular hours, and be on-call 24/7, including holidays and weekends’ and ‘Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary,’” Ford Fischer said.

Fox News reported.

The Senate on Sunday passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $80 billion in spending for the IRS over 10 years, with more than half of that intended for enforcement. That funding level could add an additional 87,000 employees over that time period to the 82,000 currently on staff, the Biden administration projected last year.

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“Knowing how weaponized the IRS interest has been and still is, it’s easy to imagine what it’s going to become once they double the number of agents,” Texas Tea Party Patriots PAC co-founder Suzanne Guggenheim.

The 87,000 additional hires would be incremental, allowing time for some attrition, according to The Washington Post. It’s not clear how many of those employees would go to the enforcement office compared to other departments, like tech support or customer service.

“Everybody will suffer,” Guggenheim, who fled socialist Hungary more than 40 years ago, said. “The country suffers, the businesses suffer and every single citizen.”

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