Why don't the trained army personnel on an army base carry their weapons if...

[renie408]

guns insure everyone's safety?

Why is it that they have their weapons checked into wherever it is you guys keep telling us they get checked into when you go on base?

Why is it supposed to be safe for all of us out here to be armed, but not for trained army personnel to be armed?

[Earth_First]

1. Ever witness first-hand the amount of stuff that "disappears" in the military...?

It happens.

[renie408]

2. So, Army personnel are not allowed to go armed because of theft?

What about their own personal weapons? Would they be allowed to carry those?

[former9thward]

6. No.

Example after the Ft. Hood massacre:

Lt. General Cone stated: "As a matter of practice, we do not carry weapons on Fort Hood. This is our home. Military weapons are only used for training or by base security, and personal weapons must be kept locked away by the provost marshal. Specialist Jerry Richard, a soldier working at the Readiness Center, expressed the opinion that this policy had left them unnecessarily vulnerable to violent assaults: "Overseas you are ready for it. But here you can't even defend yourself."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting

The shooter was stopped in his killing spree by two security personnel who shot him five times.

The upper management of the Army who are guarded by personal security details deny to the regular troops the ability to defend themselves.

[renie408]

7. Do you really think that those guns would be used most often to 'defend' themselves?

Given that more troops have died due to suicide than have been killed in the last year in combat??

I would strongly suspect that the reason that the Army does not want all the troops on the base armed is that they don't want Sandy Hook happening with recruits as opposed to kindergartners.

But you keep telling yourself it's that 'we are at home' thing.

[Agnosticsherbet]

3. Because they are home, and at home they don't need to go heavily armed.

Every base has a police force to keep the peace and support the rule off law.

[renie408]

5. So, is there a way to know if the instance of shootings are less on bases...

Than for the general public? And if they are, then that would point to gunlessness being safer, wouldn't it?

And if the instance of shootings is NOT less than for the general public, why does the Army keep their personnel unarmed when they should be allowed to defend themselves? Given, you know, that guns keep people safe.

[Agnosticsherbet]

10. Freedom of information act to get crime statistics on military bases or in the military.

[CJCRANE]

8. What is the protocol on overseas bases in warzones?

Are all personnel armed at all times with all of their weapons?

[Agnosticsherbet]

11. Overseas bases in warzones are not home, and are guided by rules of engagement.

In warzones, the military is there to fight and must be prepared at all times to engage the enemy. Furthermore, they don't take their families into warzones.

[NashvilleLefty]

4. Because it's too dangerous.

Anyone who has been properly trained understands that.

Good point!

[X_Digger]

9. Because whole cases of ammo were showing up at local gun shows, with the DOI invoices still inside

Remember President Clinton's Base Closure Commission? One of their recommendations was to lock up all the guns and ammo because too much of it was getting *cough* lost *cough* stolen.