Food Chain Radio Michael Olson

Urban Farming Agriculturalist

Arming the USDA

Why are we arming the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with submachine guns and body armor?

Guest: Ray Parga, Del Valle Gunsmithing



This Poll is closed * No idea why To protect USDA from domestic terrorists To protect USDA from foreign terrorists * 51% 41% 4%

The United States Department of Agriculture has issued a public Request for Proposal for the purchase of .40 caliber submachine guns with high-capacity magazines and gender-specific ballistic body armor.

(This public disclosure follows similar disclosures for the purchase of firearms and ammunition for the United States Post Office, Social Security Administration, National Weather Service, and Department of Education.)

When a request for a clarification interview was sent to the office of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a response was received from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) saying, “We’ll respectfully decline the interview request– OIG does not do interviews, particular on matters pertaining to investigations.”

In addition to the interview denial, OIG offered the following from its pre-packaged OIG Comment on Procurement Solicitations:

“The Inspector General Act of 1978 authorized OIG to, among other duties, pursue criminal activity, fraud, and abuses impairing USDA’s program and operations…. OIG Special Agents are authorized to make arrests, execute warrants, and carry firearms.”

Are we then to believe the machine-gun carrying, body-armored special agents from the United States Department of Agriculture are all about protecting us from the farmer selling raw milk at the farmers market?

Why are we arming the USDA?



Tune in here, for the syndicated Food Chain Radio Show #969 Live on May 31, 2014 Saturday 9AM Pacific