Legalize Concealed Carry for Soldiers on Military Installations

[Mick-Boy]

Let's not fool ourselves. The US Military is institutionally afraid of weapons. The (overwhelming) majority of US bases I've been on in Iraq and Afghanistan have clearing barrels at the gates. Service members in combat theaters are often required to walk around with cleared weapons because loaded guns are scary. How do you think that Afghan AF officer was able to kill 8 NATO troops (and a contractor) in 2011? Those poor bastards had empty weapons. I have to carry a letter signed by an 0-8 equivalent that says I don't need to download my weapons coming onto bases.... in Afghanistan..... Most soldiers don't have that letter. Wrap your brain around that.

Here's the underlying problem. For the last decade or so the US military has developed a culture of risk aversion. Officers and senior NCOs are often afraid to make a call because a bad call means the end of their career.

Last year I had to sign a letter exempting an O-6 from responsibility before he would let me leave the base to do my damn job. Mind you, I didn't work for this man, but he was so concerned that he'd get blamed if something happened to my team that he wouldn't tell the guys at the gate that we could leave until he covered his ass.

Any base commander that allowed service members to carry on base (outside of official duties) has to be willing to accept that any incident means the end of their career. I don't see that happening. Ever.

And that's not even addressing the piss-poor small arms training most service members have.

[HoneyBadger]

Let's not fool ourselves. The US Military is institutionally afraid of weapons. The (overwhelming) majority of US bases I've been on in Iraq and Afghanistan have clearing barrels at the gates. Service members in combat theaters are often required to walk around with cleared weapons because loaded guns are scary. How do you think that Afghan AF officer was able to kill 8 NATO troops (and a contractor) in 2011? Those poor bastards had empty weapons. I have to carry a letter signed by an 0-8 equivalent that says I don't need to download my weapons coming onto bases.... in Afghanistan..... Most soldiers don't have that letter. Wrap your brain around that.

Here's the underlying problem. For the last decade or so the US military has developed a culture of risk aversion. Officers and senior NCOs are often afraid to make a call because a bad call means the end of their career.

Last year I had to sign a letter exempting an O-6 from responsibility before he would let me leave the base to do my damn job. Mind you, I didn't work for this man, but he was so concerned that he'd get blamed if something happened to my team that he wouldn't tell the guys at the gate that we could leave until he covered his ass.

Any base commander that allowed service members to carry on base (outside of official duties) has to be willing to accept that any incident means the end of their career. I don't see that happening. Ever.

And that's not even addressing the piss-poor small arms training most service members have.

Nail, meet your hammer.

[Ronin13]

Huh?

Since when is a basic M4 load not 210 rounds?

In 198x we only had steel 20 rd mags and IIRC, it was a 240rd loadout.

For that particular policy that's what it stated... Not a full combat load out, but a "guarded" posture load. Downrange, however, we had to have our 210rnds on us at all times when going outside the wire.

That was a good laugh...we all know how available the arms room guys are.

True... And many of them didn't know very much about the firearms they were responsible for. Our unit armorer saw it as a chore.

Let's not fool ourselves. The US Military is institutionally afraid of weapons. The (overwhelming) majority of US bases I've been on in Iraq and Afghanistan have clearing barrels at the gates. Service members in combat theaters are often required to walk around with cleared weapons because loaded guns are scary. How do you think that Afghan AF officer was able to kill 8 NATO troops (and a contractor) in 2011? Those poor bastards had empty weapons. I have to carry a letter signed by an 0-8 equivalent that says I don't need to download my weapons coming onto bases.... in Afghanistan..... Most soldiers don't have that letter. Wrap your brain around that.

And that's not even addressing the piss-poor small arms training most service members have.

Different bases have different rules, our FOB was loaded mag, empty chamber, and 101st ABN before we took over said no mag in weapon... Uh we're in a war zone, wtf? And I agree with your last statement, I'm better trained now, after being out for almost 4 years, on an AR type rifle, than almost everyone in my unit was.

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[Trav]

Let's not fool ourselves. The US Military is institutionally afraid of weapons. The (overwhelming) majority of US bases I've been on in Iraq and Afghanistan have clearing barrels at the gates. Service members in combat theaters are often required to walk around with cleared weapons because loaded guns are scary. How do you think that Afghan AF officer was able to kill 8 NATO troops (and a contractor) in 2011? Those poor bastards had empty weapons. I have to carry a letter signed by an 0-8 equivalent that says I don't need to download my weapons coming onto bases.... in Afghanistan..... Most soldiers don't have that letter. Wrap your brain around that.

Here's the underlying problem. For the last decade or so the US military has developed a culture of risk aversion. Officers and senior NCOs are often afraid to make a call because a bad call means the end of their career.

Last year I had to sign a letter exempting an O-6 from responsibility before he would let me leave the base to do my damn job. Mind you, I didn't work for this man, but he was so concerned that he'd get blamed if something happened to my team that he wouldn't tell the guys at the gate that we could leave until he covered his ass.

Any base commander that allowed service members to carry on base (outside of official duties) has to be willing to accept that any incident means the end of their career. I don't see that happening. Ever.

And that's not even addressing the piss-poor small arms training most service members have.

Pretty much sums it up.

We're not even to the point where members trained in a law enforcement AFSC/MOS can conceal carry on installation off-duty with a personal firearm, let alone the armed forces as a whole.