I understand the problems; I ran the Louisiana State Police Firearms Training Unit for many years. Of course, back then GETTING ammunition was no big deal; it was a hassle dealing with the Purchasing weenies, but paperwork is paperwork. These days, just getting the stuff to your door is a major undertaking; a pal at the local sheriff's office has been told it will be after Thanksgiving before he will receive his ordered .45 ball for training. That's at the state contract price... naturally, they'll sell him all he can handle at retail. Profiteering *******s...

Personally-owned weapons had to be signed off on by me or one of my armorers, but upkeep was the trooper's responsibility. Yes, we had some headaches; there will always be some dipstick who thinks he knows better than his instructors (via reading gun magazines).

But the bottom line is, denying something useful to the troops because you, as an administrative type, would rather not be bothered with the minutiae involved, borders on criminal neglect in my book. (Not saying you were neglectful, sheriffoconee; just speaking in general terms).

I understand why the Bureau requires Gun Vault responsibility for all agent weapons; it provides a degree of control and continuity. And in today's litigous atmosphere, it is undoubtedly the best approach to avoid problems.

But it still sucketh for the line troops. J frames aren't that hard to work on, and rarely NEED working on; and with what funds the Bureau pisses away on frivilous stuff, keeping a parts inventory and a trained mechanic or three is a pittance.

But I was never one to totally agree with The Big Picture (as seen by those who had either never spent any time on the line, or had forgotten what it was like). That eventually cost me, but I survived to retire and be able to sit back and criticize from afar... :-)

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