GOP senator introduces plan to disarm IRS agents

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst on Tuesday introduced a bill to bar the Internal Revenue Service from owning any firearms or ammunition.

The bill would establish a 120 grace period upon its enaction by the end of which the IRS must transfer all guns and ammo in its possession to the General Services Administration. It would further bar the IRS from purchasing new firearms or ammunition.

"The taxman is fully loaded and funded by the taxpayer," Ernst told the Washington Examiner. The lawmaker indicated that she feared the Biden administration may seek to weaponize the agency and that her measure was a preventative step against such an effort.

"It’s concerning how the Biden administration has worked to expand the size of the IRS, and even more concerning that the IRS is using taxpayer dollars to arms its agents," she told the outlet. "I’m working to disarm the IRS to prevent any further weaponization of this federal agency. It’s time to end this abuse of power and tax dollars."

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress allocated $71.5 billion for the agency to hire additional agents and crack down on tax cheats, though Republican detractors have warned that the agency may come after middle income earners with those resources.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.