Infidels Paradise asks why the E.P.A. would need the 40 new Glocks mentioned in procurement order PR-DC-09-02080:
Posted Date : September 14, 2009
Procurement Office : U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Headquarters Procurement Operations Division, (3803R)
Response Date: September 23, 2009, 4:00 PM EDT
NAICS code 332994 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigations Division intends to award a sole source firm-fixed-price Purchase Order to Glock, Inc. under the authority of FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures for 40 Model G-19, 9mm frame handguns with finger grove and rail frames, Tijico night sights, extended magazine catches and 3.5lb/NY1 Trigger magazines. The Glock model G-19 is the Agency standard firearm and is the only pistol that fits our training, certified repair technician contracts, and equipment capabilities without a major change to Agency operations. Our agents are trained with the Glock pistol, and changing to another manufacturer would require transition training for each agent that could range from 1 to 3 days depending on the manufacturer. Additionally, our Agents are outfitted with holsters and magazine clips that are fitted to the Glock model firearm. Furthermore, EPA-CID has a large amount of spare parts for the Glock weapons and to retool these parts would require substantial expenditure for the Government.
NO SOLICITATION OR REQUEST FOR QUOTE WILL BE MADE FOR THIS PROCUREMENT. No contract will be awarded on the basis of offers received in response to this notice. All comments and questions regarding this procurement shall be addressed in writing to the Contracting Officer, Cara Lynch by COB on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. The decision not to compete this requirement is within the discretion of the Government. Any response to this notice shall show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government in future procurements
The point of contact for this procurement is Cara Lynch, Contracting Specialist, at lynch.cara@epa.gov
The order answers the question. The E.P.A. does indeed have armed personnel who enforce environmental regulations. The E.P.A. in fact has a criminal enforcement program complete with their own “Special Agents” who are armed and authorized to enforce federal laws as well as environmental laws. The same environmental laws the E.P.A. is able to make up to suit prevailing political opinion.
They even have their own Most Wanted list of fugitives they’re chasing at the moment, consisting of Freon smugglers, mercury contaminated soil dumpers (though the new “environmentally friendly” light bulbs the E.P.A. wants you to use in your house are loaded with this hazardous substance) and one hardened Italian desperado who sold cars that didn’t meet American emission standards.
The E.P.A. both creates regulations and enforces them. This would be like the local police legislating and enforcing the law. Maybe I missed something, but is this Constitutional?
I went to that Most Wanted link, thinking there might be wanted posters for members of ELF and ALF but, no surprise, there was none to be found. Still, some of them were understandable. The guy importing the cars was smuggling them past customs, although of course that should put him under the purview of a different agency. Otherwise, some of the other stuff involved dumping hazardous materials in oceans and other waterways, like in one example a tributary of the Mississippi River. I also noticed that a lot of the people listed seem to have originated from Muslim countries. So yes, I would say a Glock might not be such a bad idea, even if the original regulations that inspired their need in some cases might be.
All Federal Agencies Have Armed Personnel.
This is because all have at the very least, Inspectors General who are charged with enforcing the peace on Government Premises and investigating crimes related to the agency.
I work with many of these agencies and am often amused that some of these small agencies have armed personnel. The USDA, who inspect cattle and radishes have agents that carry guns. The USGS, who take mineral samples to determine coal or iron content, and who make maps, have agents that carry guns. Ditto Postal Inspector of the Post Office. Bureau of Land Management? Yep. Bureau of Indian Affairs? Yep. Even the Federal Election Commission and the Railroad Retirement Board.
And yeah, its all constitutional. Think about the specialized missions of some of these agencies. USDA makes laws governing the processing of livestock. What if someone tried to process infected animals like chickens or BSE cattle? For USGS, what if someone was salting a mine or trying to sell a dry oil well? Yeah, federal agencies make laws that they are charged to enforce, and all of them have IG’s to make sure they toe the line with what Congress tells them to do.
I had seen this story about the EPA guns and thought it was a non story, but its cool you posted the EPA most wanted! Didn’t think they had one of those but in retrospect it makes sense to me.
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