The Defense Department doesn’t want more guns in the hands of stateside troops, but the Republican commander-in-chief hopefuls do.
This week, presidential hopeful Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reiterated his support for arming military recruiters in shopping malls and public spaces to ensure their safety against the threat of terrorist attacks.
“The next time a jihadist shows up at a recruiting center in Chattanooga, he’s going to encounter the business end of firearms,” he told supporters at a Tennessee rally, referencing the five service members killed in a series of military facility shootings in the state last July.
The comments are the latest on the GOP campaign trail calling for more access to firearms for stateside troops.
Frontrunner Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and neurosurgeon Ben Carson have all made similar statements of support in recent months. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the ban on personal weapons on military bases makes no sense.
In July, Ohio Gov. John Kasich authorized personnel at Ohio National Guard recruitment centers to carry weapons, out of safety concerns following the Chattanooga shootings.
A few days later, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul offered legislation that would not only arm recruiters but also allow any service member to carry a concealed weapon while on duty, in accordance with local laws.
Cruz blasted President Obama for the gun ban in his recent comments, noting that “the state of Tennessee has seen the tragic consequences of this administration’s policies.”
But Defense Department policies on weapons on military bases actually date back to 1992, when then President George H.W. Bush enacted tougher restrictions.
And Pentagon leaders have repeatedly rejected calls for broader arming of service members on stateside bases, arguing that it could lead to more accidental shootings.
Defense officials have put in place additional “flexibility” for local commanders to add security personnel to off-post recruiting facilities and to authorize arming some individuals in potentially problematic areas.
Lawmakers included in the just-passed fiscal 2016 defense authorization act requiring the defense secretary to allow commanders to develop individual base policies for carrying both personal and military firearms, in accordance with state laws.
