House lawmakers say agency oversight of firearms is ‘deplorable’

Agencies don’t always know where their firearms are. Federal law enforcement agencies — including components of the Homeland Security Department, the Bureau of Land Management and the Federal Bureau of Prisons — lose a multitude of guns, bullets and other munitions every year due to faulty inventory tracking systems and theft.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating the severity of the problem and whether any progress has been made after the Justice Department Office of the Inspector General exposed these issues in multiple reports dating back to 2003.

“Gentlemen, you’re here because of your systems being deplorable. There’s no other word to describe them,” said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.).

DoJ IG Michael Horowitz said that after the most recent audit, the Bureau of Prisons has implemented three of the 14 recommendations listed in the report, which is roughly the amount of progress he expected.

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