Plan to allow DoD personnel to carry weapons
Military.com reports that the Department of Defense has released guidance to commanders on the subject of troops carrying and using their POWs (privately owned weapons) on DoD property.
“Arming and the Use of Force,” a Nov. 18 Department of Defense directive approved by Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, lays out the policy and standards that allow DoD personnel to carry firearms and employ deadly force while performing official duties.
But the lengthy document also provides detailed guidance to the services for permitting soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard personnel to carry privately owned firearms on DoD property, according to the document.
Commanders, O-5 and above, “may grant permission to DoD personnel requesting to carry a privately owned firearm (concealed or open carry) on DoD property for a personal protection purpose not related to performance of an official duty or status,” the document states.
The policy is in response to recent shootings on military installations and appears to be a genuine effort to make the troops safer.
Category: Politics
Interesting to see who/what/how they determine will be able to carry.
Oh…FIRST!
Being FIRST! only counts on The Weekend Open Thread.
Their can be only one!
Not about them trying to make it safer for the troops….!! It’s about them beating Trump to the punch, because he already said he was going to do this!
This is a good step in the right direction, but I would have preferred that instead they would have just extended concealed carry rights for the particular state where the base is located unto the base for those who are assigned or work there.
It’ll be interesting to see if they’ll extend these permissions to DoD contractors working on base as well.
Probably not. But yea, I’d take any additional training at my cost to be included as a retired Derbil.
Retired Lives Matter!!!
RLM MuFukkas!
Perhaps our future CiC and SecDef will change the rules to something sensible – like allowing CHL holders to carry.
there you go again.. making perfect sense.
You have to reapply every 90 days. That’s going to be a pain and eventually discourage troops from doing the “right” thing….
And the bureaucrats will make it take 90 days to get approval I’m guessing.
Now that there’s to be a new sheriff in town, looks like the DOD is trying to Cover Their Asses.
?????
What a novel idea. Military guys carrying weapons. Who would have thunk it?….
Yeah, novel idea, ain’t it? Liberals think that the same Troops that carry locked and loaded weapons overseas day in and out should be forbidden from doing so Stateside making them unarmed targets for cowards like that Muslim shrink that went nuts.
Like I have before, I have been carrying base years. I take chances an Article 15 vs. an active shooter.
This question was posed to CMSAF Cody this summer and I believe he had a very good response. Here’s the scenario:
You are a licensed, concealed carry individual (mil or civ) assigned to the Military Personnel Flight at XXX AB. The CC has authorized you and several others in your section to carry your privately owned weapons while on duty. You take a break and, when you return, an active shooter situation is in full swing. Most of your section is in lockdown, but SSgt Sammy, your supervisor, TSgt Sally, the Finance Section Chief, and SSgt Suzie, an on-duty Security Forces NCO are in a stand-off. What do you do? How do you decide who is the active shooter? How does the introduction of your firearm help or hurt the situation?
I am not sure of my personal feelings on the introduction of personally owned firearms into a duty section, especially a high stress/emotionally charged career field in which I work. Many times I have met a fellow controller outside the facility to “work out” a situation that came up. I do not think this new generation has the skills to properly communicate their disagreements verbally much less when a firearm is readily available.
I think CMSAF Cody hit the nail on the head and until this situation can be properly handled, I say leave your weapons at home.
BS Flag
These “what if” scenarios are nothing but BS.
Let’s look at real-world scenarios, statistics on what is right now happening with CHL holders all across the U.S.A.:
Lots of innocent folks getting shot, right? /s
Turn this BS scenario on its head:
You are stationed at Ft. Hood in November of 2009. You see a man walking around shooting at folks on base. You have a CHL and someone with sense has said it is ok for a CHL holder to carry on base. What do you do?
Possibly, just possibly, keep some of those 12 people who died from being killed.
12 people dead, 31 wounded while waiting “until this situation can be properly handled.”
Friggin’ BS GR_ATC Sit back and use what’s between your ears for more than a hat rack, why don’t you?
BS BS BS Hear that flag flappin?
The opportunity to save lives is exactly why this is being considered. It would seem more likely that CCs would allow senior ranking (E and O) the opportunity to carry on-duty. If this is in fact the case, then we should report to the base armory and be issued weapons and ammunition. This, of course, would come with additional training for those individuals and, at least for Air Force, would place them into a Security Forces augmentee slot. If I remember correctly, the over-arching Air Force Instruction governing base security allows personnel that live off-base to carry weapons in their vehicles as long as they are unloaded. The local installation CCs are the ones that restrict this opportunity through wing supplements.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a true Southerner. I grew up with a gun rack in the window and my high school said nothing. But this ain’t the same world and a lot of individuals have guns that do not know how to handle them. Case in point: Balad AB, Iraq, 2005 presidential election was taking place so leadership armed us AF folks. The Army, in response, placed First Sergeants and M249s at the DFAC entrances to monitor us and the clearing barrels until we were de-armed. Why would this happen unless some folks were unprepared to handle this level of stress and responsibility?
I am not arguing against carrying a weapon in your vehicle on a military installation. It happens every day without permission. I am saying allowing military personnel to carry privately owned weapons on their person while conducting their day-to-day duties is ill advised and asking for problems. Not everyone grew with the proper respect for firearms.
In that situation you can’t know anything other than that there is an active shooter and you may need to defend yourself from one or more shooters.
Infinitely better to have your weapon is that situation than not.
I’m not disagreeing with the self-defense aspect, but too many worm cans opened with this scenario. I have a brother in law enforcement and this scenario does not play out well for the law-abiding citizen. Even though they are there to help, the officer now has to deal with an additional gun with only a verbal “I’m on your side” to go by. Additional stress is not needed. Our LE agents already have enough to deal with without a hyperactive private citizen coming to their rescue, unless it is truly needed (I know these situations are becoming way too common).
Also, think about the current generation of young people joining the military. You want them carrying while you are conducting a genuine counseling session that hurts their feelings?
I’m not trying to come to anyone’s rescue-for all I know the security forces troop is the rogue shooter. All I’m doing is returning from a break and being confronted with a situation where I might need to defend myself. Infinitely better that I have the means to do so.
BTW-conducted plenty of ass chewing counselings on young troops in an active combat zone where everyone was armed with automatic weapons, never had a problem.
Oh my God. US military armed with loaded weapons?!
I’m sure some officers are literally shaking right now.
I would be if you knew some of the Privates I knew back in the day.
That being said, if the training is there, sure.
On a side note, when I was in DC many years ago, and Air Force NCO shot a CIA (I think) guy in a bar bathroom in Georgetown over a woman.
Needless to say, beer and booze were involved. Do not know the whole back story, but I would imagine certain “judgements” were clouded…..
Something to think about….