Hegseth Move Will Allow Service Members To Carry Personal Firearms On Military Bases
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belladonna
Ronin
Oh yes. When we went to Vegas in October we actually contacted the SPs regarding getting onto Nellis to do some shopping at the Exchange. They told us that as long as the firearms were properly locked up, unloaded, with the ammo stored separately, we could bring them onto the base. Couldn't carry. My husband is retired so we wouldn't fall into this category, but I do agree that off duty personnel who are licensed to carry should be able to on base, especially if they live in base housing. The fact that anything can happen, even on a military base, they have the constitutional right to be able to protect themselves and their families when out and about. My opinion.
The Night Rider
Hellcat
Never going to happen.
It's not so much that I think it's a bad idea, I don't think it's going to work because based on my experience in the Army the military holds a first line supervisors accountable for things that they have absolutely no control over.
At my first Duty Station somebody lost a weapon in the field. The working Theory was that one of the soldiers under the NCO who lost the weapon maliciously stole the weapon and disassembled it and scattered it all over the Tank Trail during a vehicle road march.
The NCO that lost the weapon was held accountable and it ended his career. But the platoon leader who could not possibly have foreseen or prevented it also lost his career.
When I was at Ft. Carson I read a bulletin about a soldier who had driven from Ft. Carson to his home in Oklahoma for a long weekend without being on pass or leave.
On his way back to Carson he fell asleep at the wheel and wrecked his car and died.
His Commander was held accountable and it ended his career.
Again, no possible way the Commander could have foreseen or prevented that without preemptively confining every soldier in his command to post for the weekend.
And as long as the Army works like that nobody's going to sign off on this and the further up the chain and the closer the person you're asking to sign off is to retirement, the less likely they are to sign off on it.
It's not so much that I think it's a bad idea, I don't think it's going to work because based on my experience in the Army the military holds a first line supervisors accountable for things that they have absolutely no control over.
At my first Duty Station somebody lost a weapon in the field. The working Theory was that one of the soldiers under the NCO who lost the weapon maliciously stole the weapon and disassembled it and scattered it all over the Tank Trail during a vehicle road march.
The NCO that lost the weapon was held accountable and it ended his career. But the platoon leader who could not possibly have foreseen or prevented it also lost his career.
When I was at Ft. Carson I read a bulletin about a soldier who had driven from Ft. Carson to his home in Oklahoma for a long weekend without being on pass or leave.
On his way back to Carson he fell asleep at the wheel and wrecked his car and died.
His Commander was held accountable and it ended his career.
Again, no possible way the Commander could have foreseen or prevented that without preemptively confining every soldier in his command to post for the weekend.
And as long as the Army works like that nobody's going to sign off on this and the further up the chain and the closer the person you're asking to sign off is to retirement, the less likely they are to sign off on it.
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HayesGreener
SAINT
Air Force installation commanders have had authority to allow personal carry on their bases for years
The Night Rider
Hellcat
And how many of them have signed off on it?
I seem to remember late 90s or early 2000s the commander of the Alaska Command forbade everyone under his command which was all military in Alaska with the exception of the Alaskan National Guard from carrying a concealed handgun off post regardless of their Concealed Carry status and Alaska's constitutional carry laws.
Right after I got out of the army the post Commander at Fort Carson MG Guy LaBoa signed directive forbidding all soldiers on Fort Carson E4 and below from having a personally owned weapon in their quarters while they were assigned to Fort Carson.
Based on my understanding the directive applied to any E4 that was assigned to Fort Carson. It didn't matter if you were married and lived in on post quarters or you were married and lived in Colorado Springs. It didn't matter if you were married and owned your own home in Colorado Springs. If you were an E4 or below you could not own a firearm as long as you were assigned to Fort Carson.
The directive stood.
belladonna
Ronin
I have read a bit about it, but I did not realize how restrictive the Army is.
The Night Rider
Hellcat
When I was in the Army they regulated how much beer you could have in your Barrack room at one time.
The rule was, one six pack of beer per person in the room.
My roommate thought it was wonderful because he was a drinker and I wasn't. So he could go buy 12 pack and leave a 12 pack in the fridge.
powerboatr
Hellcat
yes and we stay at many AFB when we travel in the bus
i have never had an issue getting a permission note in advance to bring them with us.
navy bases are terrible at saying yes, as in NO NO NO
army so far is yes please let us know when you arrive and depart
please use our skeet and pistol range to support mwr
OldGrunt
Professional
I don't expect to see too much change. I'm pretty sure most base commanders won't be in favor of it and will place all kinds of rules and regulations in place to control it. And there is no way I see any service member who lives in the barracks being allowed to keep firearms there. Maybe in the unit's arms room, but good luck with the armorer being available after duty hours to check in or out your firearms. I will also guarantee that NO ONE while on duty will be permitted to carry personal firearms. It would only be before or after duty hours. Maybe those that live off base might be able to have a weapon in their vehicle coming on base, but they will have to leave it secured in their vehicle or secure it in the arms room during duty hours. And that stuff about only having a six pack in the barracks...maybe for office pogs and the band. I was Infantry in the Army and the Marine Corps. Even if there was a rule, it was not enforced. Retarded rules like that were laughed at in my time. Including the time (3 and a half years) at Fort Carson. Some of the wildest parties I've been to in my life have been barracks parties! lol
Lab4Us
Professional
While in my “Air Force” experience, and in my specialty, this would read “responded” to instead of been to…not sure how I’d feel responding to one of those parties that got out of hand knowing every person there could be armed…and still very, very drunk…
My understanding is if a commander denies anyone they (the Commander’s) habe to make a case justifying why not and it has to fit into Hegseth criteria for the commanders to say no unlike enforcing their whim today.
I have watched a lot of arguing on FB about how bad things will increase and some stuff etc. I really doubt it as the ones that abide by rules are the ones that will take advantage of this and the ones that don’t follow rules carry anyway and are the ones that are involved in
Some of the incidents Hegseth described
What I wish would happen is no applying if your allowed to carry yjen Ig simply extends to base property for all people. Retirees that frequent bases for benefits (many are also retired LEO carrying nationwide under LEOSA) to civilian employees like my Soon in Law who until a couple years ago couldn’t carry to and from work despise having a Top Secret clearance and entered as a program manager for several high tech programs
It doesn’t have to be hard but the Military will probably make it a challenge.
I have watched a lot of arguing on FB about how bad things will increase and some stuff etc. I really doubt it as the ones that abide by rules are the ones that will take advantage of this and the ones that don’t follow rules carry anyway and are the ones that are involved in
Some of the incidents Hegseth described
What I wish would happen is no applying if your allowed to carry yjen Ig simply extends to base property for all people. Retirees that frequent bases for benefits (many are also retired LEO carrying nationwide under LEOSA) to civilian employees like my Soon in Law who until a couple years ago couldn’t carry to and from work despise having a Top Secret clearance and entered as a program manager for several high tech programs
It doesn’t have to be hard but the Military will probably make it a challenge.
Onewolf426
Hellcat
I think it is ridiculous that a lot of our soldiers are trained with actual "weapons of war", but are not allowed to carry a simple handgun for personal protection.
powerboatr
Hellcat
while stationed at mayport back in the late 90s
it was pretty much understood, all cars were armed
then 9/11 happened and they got skeered and started checking
made zero sense, but it is what it was
it was pretty much understood, all cars were armed
then 9/11 happened and they got skeered and started checking
made zero sense, but it is what it was
PieterCoetzee
Professional
Well there are soldiers and then there are SOLDIERS; but the same can be said of the folks getting CCWs in the civilian world AND the folks that say F it and carry illegally anyway. Carrying illegally happened and I suspect still happens and may happen after this order.
I look back to the Hassan shooting (who BTW was carrying illegally) and wonder if maybe the kill numbers would have been less if other soldiers had personal weapons to shoot the Fer in the face early on?
Its not like they wont be qualified, which is more then some states require
I look back to the Hassan shooting (who BTW was carrying illegally) and wonder if maybe the kill numbers would have been less if other soldiers had personal weapons to shoot the Fer in the face early on?
Its not like they wont be qualified, which is more then some states require