MILITARY.COM: President Donald Trump said Friday that he would review policies that keep troops from carrying personal weapons onto military bases.
“If we can’t have our military holding guns, it’s pretty bad,” Trump said in a wide-ranging speech to the annual Conservative Political Action Committee conference in Maryland, “and I’m going to look at that whole policy on military bases.”
“So we want to protect our military. We want to make our military stronger and better than it’s ever been,” Trump continued in the speech, in which he also renewed his call for allowing trained teachers and military retirees to carry concealed weapons in schools.
Schools and military bases currently are “gun-free zones” that are easy targets for deranged shooters such as the one in Parkland, Florida, who killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week, Trump said.
Defense Department policy mainly has been that base security is the province of military police. In most cases, troops are required to leave their personal weapons at home or check them at the gate in an effort to prevent accidental shootings and discourage suicides.
“We had a number of instances on military bases, you know that,” Trump said in his speech, apparently referring to active shooter episodes. MORE
“Gentlemen, there’s no fighting in the war room!”
Speaking from direct, personal experience, and history. It worked very well for over 200 years!
If I remember correctly, it was Clinton who directed all posts relinquish civilian weaponry as he was planning an inspection on one.
Obama had the bolts removed from rifles during his inauguration parade.
Troops should be allowed to carry on post, but not during basic training.
Also troops stationed overseas, Italy, Germany etc., would have to obey local laws. Just sayin.’
I’m certain that the soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas would agree with this decision. It will shorten the time that anyone commits “workplace violence” again down there for Allah’s sake.
I remember the duty .45, hanging on a nail by the door.
Dad carried a personal revolver in WWII, Dad carried a revolver in post war Germany, Dad carried a revolver onto SAC bases, Dad carried a revolver into court houses as a bailiff, he never carried into church, today he would.
His wasn’t as nice as Patton’s, it worked just as well.
General Patton’s was among the first .357 Magnum’s.
Gee….. can we trust the military with guns?
@ex, with ivory grips:
“They’re ivory. Only a pimp from a cheap New Orleans whorehouse would carry a pearl-handled pistol.”-Geo.
Son, before you get in that 62 ton Abrams Tank, relinquish that sidearm. Those things are dangerous.
This should have happened on day one by executive order. As far as the bases in other countries, our service members have been protecting those people for over seventy years. If our people won’t be allowed to protect themselves, it’s time for them to come home.
Sec of Def can correct the ban with a stroke of the pen.
Do it now.
Time for DoJ to take the lead pushing National Reciprocity too.
With Volunteer Auxiliary Deputization soon to follow. DoJ presumption-of-innocence for armed citizens responding to life threatening crimes in progress.
Big Red, it goes back further than that; I was active duty Navy from 1972-1993 and there never was a time when I was allowed to carry personal weapons at all, let a lone my personal firearms.
And while we’re on the subject Mr. President, what about us .mil retirees? The reason I don’t use my exchange and commissary privileges is that I’m not allowed to carry my CCW on base, and I refuse to travel that far in my county without a sidearm. Once upon a time, I had a TS/SCI clearance, was trusted with crypto keys and codes, allowed near nuke weapons. Today, the sight of my .38 makes the gate guards go to Defcon 1.
Last call is always the base CO, no matter what POTUS says. They’ll just make it to hard to do it.
Besides, if they don’t know you are carrying, are you?
34 years entering gates and I’ve never been patted down🤭
All soldiers can carry personal weapons ON BASE if Trump has anything to say about it, BUT, usually soldiers have to turn them in to the arms room under lock and key, and sign out. What good does that do with an active shooter? Soldiers have to wait until the arms room sergeant is found, opened up, and guns issued?
No. Soldiers should have their own gun in their own room under lock and key if they aren’t wearing it.