Saturday, May 17, 2014

Why Does the USDA Need Submachine Guns?

That's the question over at Hot Air, and it's a darned good one.  It seems that the USDA is seeking bids on submachine guns.  From the solicitation:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, located in Washington, DC, pursuant to the authority of FAR Part 13, has a requirement for the commerical acquisition of submachine guns, .40 Cal. S&W, ambidextrous safety, semi-automatic or 2 shot burts trigger group, Tritium night sights for front and rear, rails for attachment of flashlight (front under fore grip) and scope (top rear), stock-collapsilbe or folding, magazine - 30 rd. capacity, sling, light weight, and oversized trigger guard for gloved operation.  NO SOLICITATION DOCUMENT EXISTS.  All responsible and/or interested sources may submit their company name, point of contact, and telephone.  If received timely, shall be considered by the agency for contact to determine weapon suitability.
I can't imagine why the food safety organization has any need for submachine guns.  I can imagine that submachine guns might be used by SWAT teams conducting high-risk dynamic entries,  but I can't imagine that the USDA would need a SWAT team.

This bullshit is getting out of hand.

8 comments:

Termite said...

Well, there ARE those highly dangerous sellers of that deadly substance known as raw milk. They are more dangerous than Al-Qaeda, don't you know.......

And the various farmers market's which have THE NERVE to sell fresh fruits and vegetables without USDA inspection. And I even hear that some CRIMINAL STRAWBERRY FARMERS are selling fresh berries on the roadsides, AND THEY DON'T COLLECT SALES TAX!!!

OH THE HORROR OF IT!!

Old NFO said...

It is, and only getting worse... They ordered body armor on a separate RFP...

Gerry N. said...

It wonders me what happens to the agent who get hit in the chest or back with a 150 gr. hi-vel .30 cal. projectile at a range of, oh say, 75 yards? I seem to remember reading somewhere that if such a strike is not immediately lethal, it still does serious injury not unlike being struck there with an eight pound sledge hammer weilded by someone strong and irate. I am nearly 70 yrs old, own several 7,62 X 51mm & .308 Winchester cal. rifles and many dozens of cartridges, all soft point. Not only that but I am a skilled shooter. No longer very strong, but highly skilled

jon spencer said...

Might have something to do with the USDA's Forest Service and the grow operations in northern California.

David aka True Blue Sam said...

USDA offices are not the friendly places they were a few years back. The County Executive Directors now seem to be trained to act like Nurse Diesel, and they now delight in fining farmers for problems on the farm ground in the federal programs. The USDA's OIG unit is particularly nasty,and you do not want to let anyone know in a USDA office that you have a pocketknife (even in your vehicle in the parking lot). 3" is the limit, and they will prosecute. A Soil and Water Conservation District employee was fired and prosecuted for having a Buck 110 knife on his belt when they started enforcing that rule. Soil and Water employees work in the field most days, and a knife is a necessary tool in the field, but that doesn't matter to the bureaucratically-minded.

Oldnretd said...

Right Jon, the FS administers some of the most remote areas in the country - ripe for marijuana operations and meth brewing. And they've lost several officers, and at least on K-9, to gunfire in the last few years. So, if its the FS Law Officers who need them, let 'em have 'em.

Ed Jones said...

A Glock 22 in .40 S&W is for defence, a Submachine Gun is for offence....

Clay said...

Um, there is an actual reason:

http://reason.com/blog/2014/05/16/why-the-hell-is-the-department-of-agricu

It's not a great reason, but there is one: 9/11 (basically).

That and its also the government, so stupid laws are followed to a T, money wasted, until Congress does something different.