Tam:
The cherry on the icing of the cake of the night was the mealy-mouthed General Cone simpering from the lectern about “We don’t go armed around here, this is our home,” which caused me to look at the loaded pistol on the nightstand in bafflement. I thought Texas had that “Castle Doctrine” thing? I know Texans on the internets are always bragging about how it’s legal for them to shoot someone stealing their hubcaps after dark, so I’m pretty sure a guy Allahu Akhbar-ing his way through a hospital waiting room gets the green light in the target selection sweepstakes. If they had been allowed to carry their damn guns, maybe somebody could have smoked Hasan before he rolled up a body count like an NCAA basketball score. Even the most ardent gun banners are always shooting off at the mouth about how “only the police and the military are qualified to carry guns” so how come they were unarmed and defenseless by edict here?
Sad, but true.
I work at a military training command.
Last year, a student was found with an assembled gun and a list. Yes, one of those lists. Thank God he was found out in an inspection before he went nuts.
Many of the instructors would like to carry guns. Since we cannot, some carry knives.
I feel utterly unsafe in this gun free zone. :-(
The military isn’t immune to bureacratic idiocy and failure.
I think many non-gunnies equate military with “heavily armed” and assume that soldiers on military bases are armed.
Criminals around military bases focus on the servicemembers because they know that they’ll be unarmed.
Generals are not afraid of guns, they are afraid of losing control of their soldiers. Dept. of Defense policy is that no one other than a police officer (Civilian or Military) can carry a fire arm on a military installation except in the course of military training. Neither civilians or military personnel are allowed to carry firearms on a military installation for their personal protection. They can hunt, they can target shoot, but they can not protect themselves. LTG Cone’s hands are tied in this regard. He would need to get approval from Gates or even the President to allow soldiers and civilians to carry weapons on Ft Hood.
Bill:
Thanks for the clarification. Unfortunately, I don’t think that policy is likely to change under this President.
DoD policy on weapons on base, scares the crap outta me since I work on one. Every time we get security threat assessments, #1 or #2 is an active shooter and yet I’m not allowed to carry on base.
Our mighty base security services, can’t prevent someone who wants to go on a rampage from getting their weapon on base, but I’m legally prohibited from protecting myself.
I’m wondering if there would be potential for a lawsuit. The Army willfully disarmed a population of proficient, willing, and able people, and then did not supply adequate protection for those people.
I certainly think if somebody wants to create a gun-free zone they should be held responsible for the safety of all within that zone.
Lawsuit ain’t gonna happen, however much the idiotic policies of DOD and Fed writ large contribute to these horrible events.
Those of us who work or live on Federal property effectively surrender our right to protect ourselves everytime we go through the gate.
“The military actually has a highly defective attitude when it comes to gun handling.”
I was in the Navy for four years. It used to infuriate me to no end that, when standing Petty Officer of the Watch onboard, we were not allowed to load the 1911 we carried.
Now, after learning proper gun handling, I realize that not letting your average sailor carry a loaded gun is probably a good thing, because firearms training in the Navy is pathetic.
Seeing the way that the shipboard security handles firearms makes me really miss the days when Marines provided the security on nuclear ships. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve had to describe to some of those sailors what dark place I would put their M4 if they swept me with it again.
Actually with a bit of pro-active lobbying and training that far exceeded Fleet norms (our guys shot about 400 rounds of .45 each, due to some “creative accounting” on my part) our Skipper actually let the security force on our “nuclear capable” ship ( we could “neither confirm nor deny”) stand watch armed – at least in condition 3 rather than the empty magazine wells I encountered upon reporting aboard.
Ain’t about sailors, Marines et al, it’s about training and LEADERSHIP.
Actually under Army regulations, any commander in the grade of O-4 or above can give permission for any soldier under their command to carry a concealed weapon, including commercial flights.
I would also point out the military firearms training and defensive firearms training tend to be at odds with each other.
And as someone in another thread I read (maybe RAH?), military personnel blow off steam by getting into trouble; made much worse if everyone has a personal firearm.
It is not common today but officers have been fragged before by troops, mutinies used to be a big fear. So a lot of traditions of keeping troops unarmed on US bases is based on tradition.
What is ironic that a traffic cop who was a expert shooter happened to be there and she took the shooter down. All those trained troops and it was a cop that that did it.
I guess the MP’s were farther away.
To give a story,my father used to work on a base in a civilian capacity. One evening a shot came near his office. It was not a murder attempt but a young marine being stupid.
This stuff happens. My father never blamed the marine and fears that it was targeted were unfounded.
I accept the risk that people owning and carrying guns may act stupidly and I could get killed. But with good training that risk is managable.
I willingly assume risks every day. I drive and that has a higher risk of injury than being shot by a criminal or reckless shooting.
I have had gunfire come my way in the woods. There are protocals when coming upon shooters in the woods to avoid accidents.
It is not that bad, most people will stop once you let them know who are in the target range. Only once did the kids not stop and then I charged them and they ran. We never saw each other but did hear each other.
RAH – Most military bases have transitioned to civilian police from MPs. She was a Department of the Army civilian police officer.
The news stories did not clarify that she was employed by Department of the Army. They said she was a traffic cop and was driving by so she was off duty and heard the report and rant to the scene and caught sight of the guy coming out and around the corner.
Perhaps the local police have contracted with the Army but who signs her paycheck?
RAH – Again she is employed by the Army. She is a DOA police officer. A federal employee.