AMTRAK SWAT (courtesy militaryphotos.com)

According to thehill.com, the Department of Justice is conducting an inventory of Uncle Sam’s firearms-enabled forces. Again, not the number of guns bought, maintained or funneled to fascist dictators, Mexican drug cartel members and Libyan “freedom fighters.” The number of people employed by the feds who’ve been issued a firearm and given the power of arrest. So . . . federal agents. “It is not clear when the data will be finalized, though the final release could take until early 2015.” We’ll wait. Meanwhile, whatdaya reckon? How many armed federales are living the ballistic lifestyle on your dime? Winner gets a box of ammo (their choice of caliber). Here are some clues . . .

Six years ago, the Justice Department found that 73 government agencies employed about 120,000 armed agents . . .

From 2004 to 2008, the government added about 15,000 armed agents, the earlier Justice report found. During that time period, an additional eight agencies began employing armed units.

One more hint: the number has not decreased.

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153 COMMENTS

  2. You know it’s way the hell too many when they say it’ll take till 2015 to count ’em all!

    Tom

      • And with typical Government accuracy, the number will be off. See: DoD, which has not had an accurate inventory of anything since 1940.

    • If they release those number is 2015 I would be amazed. It took them 4 years to release the last set.

  3. “One more hint: the number has not decreased.”

    I am shocked! Shocked, I tell you!

  5. I’m going to guess 250,000. Because the numbers seem to be accelerating rather than simply increasing.

        • The story isn’t about the military, it’s about government agencies suddenly sprouting armed officers and tactical teams. Agencies like the Department of Education and the USDA…

    • I grew up during the game-show years… I know how this one is played!

      I will bid 250,001.

  6. My guess is that it’s more than we have on active duty in the armed forces. I’d guess 1.2 million give or take…

    • 147, 650. Give or take.

      Wait. If some of ’em get offed by armed citizens, is that “give” or “take”?

    • Based on historical levels and an increase due to creation of DHS, I gues 1 per 2,000 citizens. So 157,000-ish.

  10. i know ttag hates LE, and i hate the federal gov as much as the next guy, but some of the federal LE agencys do good work, the FBI goes after sex traffickers and child pornographers, the postal inspecters service go after mail fraud, which is a bigger thing than you think, and really effects the elderly. the secret service took over a huge identity theft case that my small rural agency uncovered and couldnt do much with, becuase they have the time and resources to track down all the victims and follow the money.

    but yeah, too many federal agencys have armed agents, and most of thier departments shouldnt even exist (ATF), just dont forget about the good guys.

  15. What about DoD in the case of a national emergency! So bump that # by 3/4 of a million!

    Ever hear the term DSCA?

  18. Sadly, the number .gov will give us will be WAY short of the real number.
    I know one personally who will not make any of those lists.

  21. OK, I’m gonna go with 350,000. I know for sure that it’s too damn many, most of the alphabet agencies could make do just fine with a small body of investigators.

  27. They are going to come up with a number around 187, 213 and that is my guess, but I’d bet the “real” number is a lot higher.

  30. Well there will be the official number, which I’d put at, at least 400,000, possibly more. Then there’s the “un official” number, which may be skipped altogether that exist inside the world of the Black Budget. This isn’t conspiracy theory BS, this is real life. And that number would probably include to the people and organizations that technically “don’t exist” or existence is skewed, like JSOC. Throw in all the mercenaries they hire, (they definitely don’t qualify as military) your probably looking around an additional 500,000 making the real number around 1 million or more.

    Oh if I win, hmm, 30-06 it is.

  33. They might want to use a bulk method of calculation. Maybe by volume or weight. That’s how they estimate grains of sand on the beach ;o)

  36. According to FBI’s own 2008 numbers [PDF], total number of Federal LE is somewhere around 120,000-ish, and state & local LE in America, including federal, is somewhere around 765,000 <— and that's supposedly post-9/11 Nazi-named DHS policestate Amerika has become.

    And, add in all the clerical shenanigans of including Coast Guard (though technically under DoD, officially under DHS now, and Dept of Transportation and Treasury, previously. lol) & US Border/Customs/ICE under the aegis of DHS, the Fed LE numbers may go up, even further, depending on how they actually count them.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_the_United_States#Number_of_police

    http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/police-employee-data
    http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/forum/28/2-3summerfall2011/f_lawenf_census.html

    The most recent report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics quadrennial “Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2008” shows that there were over 1.1 million persons employed on a full-time basis by state and local law enforcement in this country in 2008. Of that number, about 765,000 were sworn personnel—which is defined as those with general arrest powers.

    Now what percentage of that 800,000 to 1million-ish is full-time “sworn officiers”/armed vs. clerical/administrative/unarmed??

    WhoTF knows, seeing as how they’ve even armed the Dept. of Ed, USDA & Social Security with SWAT.

    They should just stop all the pretenses, and just bring back the BrownShirts and more Stahlhelm looking than the current PASGT-set.

    xD

    It’d make it a whole lot easier to identify, at least for those without historical amnesia, but still hanging onto their last bit of StaTHEISM, and still believes that this country isn’t facing a mathematically certain currency collapse/reset, where all these LE and state actors would de facto exist no more, by proxy, due to a drop-off in funding structure:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgPyWLr20jk
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrHpcigR_xg
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrLhZBzSdk8

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj2s6vzErqY
    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE88E9ICdipidHkTehs1VbFzgwrq1jkUJ

    All empires collapse from its own weight. Nobody escapes historical realities.

  42. “It is not clear when the data will be finalized, though the final release could take until early 2015.”

    Considering the 2008 audit numbers weren’t released till 2012, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

  44. Oh, forgot my guess…

    When we consider all the alphabet soup agencies, and unexpected ones like the Department of Education (Yeah, seriously.)

    1.5 million.

  46. My official guess is 190,000. I’ll bet there is an opening for 30k more after the audit.

  47. Counting armed Government contractors (like whatever Blackwater is calling itself this week), I’m guessing 750,000 worldwide.

  48. how many? Not enough willing to catch a bullet* for Herr AG Holder or OneBigAssMessAmerica when they order them into the cities/villages/countryside to begin the confiscation and/our rounding up of the masses for the camps.

    * in no way should my reference to “catch a bullet” be meant as a direct threat against LE but instead be construed as a metaphoric reference to suffering the slightest injury as a result of direct physical contact with the people they were sworn to protect. With that said, MOLON LABE !!

    • Exactly. The funny thing is, they’re giving all this hardcore weaponry to the social security admin and DHS thinking that those agents will make good soldiers… hahahahaha….. They just don’t understand that it takes a different kind of person to handle explosions, machinegun fire and pure carnage and death. Those of us that can, are or were in the military, and most will not be with them…

  50. +100,000 for putting freedom fighters in quotes. Peh. Today we are using them, zey are ze “freedom fighters”. When we need an enemy du jour, zey become “terroristes”.

    Zey can go back and forth, as the need arises.

  57. They just keep adding them and buying more toys and weapons and clearance rates remain flat. More bodies to do less work. Well, less valuable work. I’m sure there are plenty of raw milk producers who will be raided in the coming years.

  58. What ever is in the Military will be the matched number. O said he wanted his own army at the same strength as the us army so I will guess around 1.5 million. That will be after MS13, the Crips and the Bloods have been “deputized” into the federal forces.

  63. Six years ago, the Justice Department found that 73 government agencies employed about 120,000 armed agents

    There is NO WAY that was an honest count. Perhap “they” ment Sixteen years ago. and “About”??

    I’ll predict the qty is 6x the number of 11- series (infantrymen) on duty in the US Army/USMC (including Guard/Reserve).. That is be REAL defenders of the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.

  65. Whatever number they provide will be a lie. They’ll ‘forget’ agencies, miscalculate others, and just flat out mislead.
    What it truly is and what they say it is, either way it’s way to much. Nowhere is there mention of the ability of the federal government to establish ‘law enforcement’. Even if it serves a ‘righteous’ purpose, it’s not called for. Want it, pass an amendment. Else, leave it and the money for it to local, county, and state agencies. They can work together if something is bigger than one state.

  66. Is this the government agencies we know about or all of them? Ima go ahead and guess 200 grand.

  71. Including all agencies, such as AMTRAK
    Tennessee Valley Authority Police and
    Library of Congress Police etc. but excluding the military and contract security services (not federal armed agents per se)….I’ll say ~148,001

  73. I wonder if they count them the same way the Japanese do for the whale population: by firing (on) them at the same time?

    My guess would be 155,000.

    Although the public has heard of plenty of previously unarmed or minimally armed agencies getting SWAT teams and the like (Education? Agriculture? Post office?) a 20,000 increase would sound about right for the report. I couldn’t imagine it stretching further than 167,000: it would simply be too much of an increase vs 2004-2008.

    That said, yes, there WILL be fudge.

  74. Non-issue. But let’s go to bed tonight staring at the ceiling in fear of the federal govt coming through our doors. Suckers.

  76. Normally dont post, but after all of the vitrol, decided to rebut some stupid.

    Most federal LEOs are there for a purpose, and it usually has to do with the fact that crime and corruption are pervasive in our society and without these LEOs our country would be falling apart faster than it already is. Also, the Bureau only focuses on crime that s politically sexy, and state and locals should not be forced to take on purely federal crime (like contract and grant fraud, or smuggling across the border, or stopping drugs on the high seas, etc.)

    Most federal LEOs that I know and work with are Republicans or Libertarians, and would be the first ones to refuse to commit unconstitutional acts against our citizens. Does that excuse the excesses that DO occur in enforcement of federal laws? Absolutely not. But that is what the constitution is for, to protect those who can protect themselves. Additionally, if you dont like politicians or the current Administration, then exercise your right to vote them out in November (seriously, go vote).

    So, as someone who has sucked enough sand for this country and now serves you, the citizenry, as a Federal LEO, realize most of us are like minded (albeit as long as you all believe in supporting and defending the Constitution…especially the 2nd Amendment).

    Out.

    • You can climb down off your cross now, as you will find many who are in LE or are married to spouses in LE myself included, not to mention fellow sand box suckers, who choose not to use it to prop up their self righteous view…..
      Many of us are very well aware of the federal employees attitude.

    • without these LEOs our country would be falling apart faster than it already is.

      What comedy club are you at next so we can catch your whole routine. Oh wait! You were serious. O___o Oh my…

      Seriously though, I completely disagree with you. There is no way that all of these federal law enforcement officers (I refuse to insult lions, BTW) support the Constitution. Otherwise, they would have already realized that they are accepting a paycheck for a job that is unconstitutional. At best that’s theft and at worst it’s perpetuating tyranny. But, a sincere thanks for taking the time to comment.

  77. I’ll guess between 600,000 to 700,000 actual Federal Agents. Plus the previously mentioned about 750,000 sworn police officers, but many may not be politically reliable. And add about 10x the total number in potential auxiliaries (snitches, drug dealers, gang members, etc).

  78. 258,000 Federal LEOs in 2012 [not including Coast Guard (DHS) and the DoD personnel]. I highly doubt they will have the number for 2013 in 2014 or in 2015.

    Winchester Super-X Ammunition 45 ACP 185 Grain Silvertip Hollow Point please.

  83. Looks to the left.. Looks to the right… then once over the shoulder… leaning in now….. “One Dollar, bob”

  85. Some higher ups in the federal bureaucracy that can still do math have concluded that a country that has 90+ TRILLION dollars in unfunded liabilities is a country headed for calamity, so they’ve concluded that those with a lot of guns and ammo and minions to use them will come out on top of whatever “correction” an economic collapse brings. IF something catastrophic were to happen, all bets are off on the outcome. Regardless, we are already a proto-police state and that is very disturbing.

  86. 381,000 plus at least 1,000 SWAT teams.
    Carrying 2.8 billion brand new dum dum rounds.
    Yup!Full auto burns ammo at a wicked pace!
    It took over 200,000 rounds fired to kill one man
    During the Civil War . . . Under Obama
    It will take 1,000,000 rounds per kill!

  88. Now its 107 trillion in Social Security, Medicare, Medcaid, Drug program Medicare part D, Federal Pensions.
    If you include ALL Liabilites $ 222 trillion
    See Dr Laffer.
    See USA Debt Clock.

  89. Total nationwide including local , county , state , and Feds , 506,585 . Also it won’t be made public knowledge unless leaked , that there are quite a few different firearms missing out of federal inventory , but this count won’t be finished for a while either , because the Feds really never get in a big hurry over such a mundane task , but if it was to coerce , kill or take a citizens belongings cash or other things of value we couldn’t find brakes big enough to stop them ! Be prepared and ready . Keep your powder dry .

  90. 327,853
    Including local LEO’s that have US Marshall Service as add ons to state authority.

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