September 25, 2003

Firearms Internal Controls at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Some Department of Energy (DOE) sites maintain firearms for AND OBJECTIVE use by protective forces to secure and safeguard facilities, nuclear weapons and materials, and employees. Firearms are considered sensitive items by DOE and are subject to strict inventory controls. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated an inspection of internal controls over firearms at DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore). This inspection complements similar work performed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos) and the Savannah River Site. A report on the Los Alamos review was issued on February 21, 2003, DOE/IG-0587, “Inspection of Firearms Internal Controls at Los Alamos National Laboratory.” A report on the Savannah River Site review was issued on July 29, 2003, INS-L-03-08, “Internal Controls Over Firearms at the Savannah River Site.”