The Board of County Commissioners on July 7 approved a $26,267 purchase of 10 AR-style rifles from Sons of Liberty Gun Works for use by the sheriff's office, to be funded from existing county accounts. The commission voted unanimously to authorize the purchase.

The sheriff told commissioners he negotiated a $9,000 savings from the vendor on a prior capital-improvement allocation for the SWAT team, plans to use $10,000 from lake patrol funds when they arrive, and will add $7,267 from the sheriff's existing funds to reach a total purchase price of $26,267. "Each rifle would cost $2,626," the sheriff said, and the itemized packet included accessory costs.

The sheriff said the rifles carry a lifetime warranty and that the vendor will provide two deputies free enrollment in a two-day armored-forces course so those deputies can be certified to perform maintenance and limit liability. "These rifles in the packet that you have, you can see that it comes with a lifetime warranty. So if we were to burn one of those barrels up, we can send it back down to Texas, and they will replace that barrel," he said.

Commissioners asked whether the department had sought multiple bids; the sheriff said they reached out to several companies but preferred the Sons of Liberty rifles for perceived quality and warranty coverage. The sheriff said the department expects a roughly 10-year service life from the rifles.

Discussion: Commissioners asked for documentation of the vendor outreach. Direction: the sheriff confirmed funds were already in the listed accounts and moved forward after the motion. Decision: the motion to approve the purchase passed with recorded votes of Commissioner Beaver: yes; Commissioner Cordray: yes; Commissioner Klubine: yes.

The sheriff said the rifles will be used both by the SWAT team and for patrol, and that with 10 rifles "every deputy at all times would have one," ensuring deployment availability. No further procurement conditions or additional approvals were recorded.

Ending: The commission recorded the vote and thanked the sheriff for the presentation; the purchase will proceed under the funding breakdown discussed.