A group of senators want a newly proposed gun law to help service members and their families feel safe, they say.
South Dakota Republican Sens. Mike Rounds and John Thune introduced legislation Thursday that would allow military spouses to purchase handguns in the state where their active-duty spouse is permanently stationed for assignment.
However, the bill would not apply to military couples who live on base, a spokeswoman for Rounds’ office told Military Times on Tuesday.
“If the spouse lives on base, they are under the rules set by the base commander,” the spokeswoman said. “Bases still have to follow local and state laws in this regard.”
U.S. citizens are prohibited from purchasing a handgun in states outside of their home residency. However, federal firearms laws and regulations make an exception for active-duty members on PCS orders, allowing them to obtain firearms in states where they are serving if that state permits it.
“State and local laws still apply, but this bill is focused on handguns,” the spokeswoman said. “The Gun Control Act of 1968 states that individuals can only purchase handguns in their state of residency, so this bill seeks to change that for military spouses.”
Length of PCS time is not a factor, the spokeswoman said.
The bill aims to extend this courtesy to a military member’s spouse, and would also allow for spouses to purchase guns “in a neighboring state if the military spouse commutes across state borders to their duty installation,” according to a news release.
An example of this would be Fort Campbell, Douglas said. The base straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border, so “if a military family lives in Tennessee, but the military spouse commutes to his/her duty installation in Kentucky, the spouse would be able to buy his/her gun in Tennessee if so desired,” the spokeswoman said.
“At a time of increased threats on military bases and to members of our Armed Forces, it is as important as ever to give military families the opportunity to protect themselves and their loved ones,” Rounds said in the release.
“Our men and women in uniform — and their families — make incredible sacrifices to keep our country safe; allowing them to keep their families safe is the least we can do.”
Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont.; Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.; Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, have co-sponsored the legislation; Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., introduced a similar bill in the House earlier this year.
