Monday, July 27, 2015

Armed Civilians "Protect and Serve" The New Trend: Feasible??? Hardly

 Since 1775: On Guard

Today: En Garde

Reality Today
(Zachary Gallegos, age 23, stands guard outside the Armed Services Recruiting Center in Sioux Falls, SD. 
The Pentagon has asked such self-appointed armed citizens to leave, citing security concerns).


The story from here (NPR) in part:

The Army is not happy about armed civilians who have been appearing at recruiting stations in several states in the wake of the Chattanooga shootings, ostensibly to help guard against such attacks.  According to Stars and Stripes, a U.S. Army Recruiting Command policy letter issued on Monday warns soldiers to “avoid anyone standing outside the recruiting centers attempting to offer protection and report them to local law enforcement and the command, if they feel threatened.”


The directive follows the attack by lone gunman, Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, at two Recruiting Stations in Chattanooga, TN that resulted in the deaths of five service members.

More and related from here (Stars and Stripes article). The Defense Department came out squarely against giving weapons to every service member on a domestic military installation despite a growing clamor in Congress for such a step in the wake of the Tennessee shooting. 

So, short opinion poll here: Do you favor armed service members on posts and stations, or short of that, armed civilians guarding their entrances and also at Recruiting Stations? 

My short answer all along has been "No," not a good idea not one bit.

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