Federal agencies shift spending on guns, ammunition and tactical gear

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Federal spending on guns, ammunition and tactical equipment rose sharply at the Department of Homeland Security while falling at the IRS, according to figures discussed by Open the Books deputy public policy editor Rachel O’Brien.

Homeland Security spending on guns, ammunition and armor increased nearly 236% between fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2026, rising from $61 million to more than $204 million, O’Brien said in an interview with The National News Desk. The fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

Federal spending on guns, ammunition and tactical equipment rose sharply at the Department of Homeland Security while falling at the IRS, according to figures discussed by Open the Books deputy public policy editor Rachel O’Brien. (TNND)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spent more than $57 million on the equipment in fiscal 2026, compared with $14.5 million over the two previous fiscal years, O’Brien said. She attributed part of the increase to expanded immigration enforcement.

Other Homeland Security agencies also increased their spending, including the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration. The Coast Guard spent $62 million on two helicopters, O’Brien said.

Some agencies outside Homeland Security also reported increases. The Energy Department spent $40 million on unmanned aircraft for the National Nuclear Security Administration, up from about $1.5 million over the previous two fiscal years, according to O’Brien. The Environmental Protection Agency spent $2 million on chemical detection instruments, compared with about $100,000 to $150,000 in each of the two prior years.

The IRS, meanwhile, cut its spending on the equipment by about half compared with President Joe Biden’s final year in office, O’Brien said. The agency spent about $1 million in the most recent fiscal year.

The IRS has special agents who carry firearms, but O’Brien said the agency bought no guns in the latest period. It continued to spend on body armor and ammunition, totaling about $5 million over the past two years, while spending less than $1 million on items including helmets, night-vision equipment, binoculars and gun safes.

The decline follows higher spending in earlier years. The IRS spent $10 million on guns and tactical equipment in 2020 and 2021, including rifles, shotguns, ballistic shields, optical sights and night-vision gear, O’Brien said.

The figures show different spending trends across federal agencies, with equipment purchases rising in several security-related departments and falling at the IRS.