USMC Firearm Policy Updated to Allow Concealed Carry for Self-Defense on Base

Semper Fi; carry on.

The title is a little deceptive.

It seems they still dont trust your average Marine, or anyone else for that matter, with a gun.

A USMC memo on concealed carry changes that by authorizing “active Marine Corps Law Enforcement (LE) professionals who possess valid Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (LEOSA) 18 U.S.C. §926B credentials to carry concealed privately owned firearms (POF) aboard Marine Corps property in the United States and U.S. territories for personal protection not in the performance of official duties.”

Click to expand...

At least SOME common sense is being acted upon. I will admit some of the people I have known personally before they went into the military should be restricted to something less than a keyboard, much less a firearm.

Yeah. That's really no different than civilian LEOs.

Yes but...I work on a joint Army/Air/Coast Guard base and the law enforcement exception is already permitted there. "Common folks" like myself who are legally licensed to carry in the civilian community are prohibited from carrying on the installation. Only the bad guys and security forces carry.

One thing I've learned from decades of military service...the high brass doesn't trust troops with arms while in garrison.

Civilian law enforcement officers still cannot carry on bases unless in an on-duty status going on to the base in an official capacity with prior notification to base police/PMO.

I have to disarm -- which really sticks in my craw -- to visit my local commissary and/or exchange on weekends while making sure I don't have any weapons in my vehicle. Yet I can carry anywhere else in my state any time (with the exception of our two sports stadiums, strangely, unless on duty).

So giving this to military police doesn't change much. ALL active duty and retired should be allowed to carry on any base. Witness the most recent two shootings in Florida and Hawaii, remember Ft. Hood.

FROGO207 said:

At least SOME common sense is being acted upon. I will admit some of the people I have known personally before they went into the military should be restricted to something less than a keyboard, much less a firearm.

Click to expand...

Ive seen a few who came out of the military and were supposedly trained there, that I thought the same thing.

Just throwing this out because I never was an NCO, but what about allowing senior NCO's and Officers open carry on base as well a regionally?

Aim1 said:

Finally some common sense. If members of the US military can't be trusted to carry weapons for their own protection who can be?

Click to expand...

There is no reason to assume that a military person is any more competent with a handgun, on average, than any other American adult. Most receive exactly zero handgun training.

Having lived in an open barracks with 70+ other Jarheads I can tell you that there were maybe 4 or 5 who had the common sense and maturity to have open access to firearms.

bearcreek said:

There is no reason to assume that a military person is any more competent with a handgun, on average, than any other American adult. Most receive exactly zero handgun training.

Click to expand...

So when did you get out? If your second statement is based on your experience from the Cold War era, you are way out of date.

Because I can tell you that there was a huge sea change post 9/11. I can't speak to the Air Force, but I can tell you that most Marines and Navy personnel received considerably more than "zero handgun training."

Old Dog said:

So when did you get out? If your second statement is based on your experience from the Cold War era, you are way out of date.

Because I can tell you that there was a huge sea change post 9/11. I can't speak to the Air Force, but I can tell you that most Marines and Navy personnel received considerably more than "zero handgun training."

Click to expand...

I was never in the military. My statement was based on the experience of my brother in the Marines and the experience of the Army and Marine vets I've trained under. My brother has been a Marine now for 5 years and received no handgun training until he got into a more "specialized" unit. Most of those I've trained under are GWOT vets, although there are a couple from the Cold War era too. They have stated that most don't get handgun training. You disagree?

When I was in the Corps ('82-'92) you didn't pistol qual unless your duty position required you to carry one. So where I was in the air wing that was pilots, armory personnel or if you were assigned to a guard or security function. Otherwise you didn't need to shoot one and never saw one unless someone else was wearing it. I don't know if that's different today.

Before the dawn of the 90's no one was ever concerned about someone attacking a US military installation. It was just unheard of. There may have been some one-off cases of violence in base housing or some work center personnel dispute but that wasn't related to ideological motivations.

bearcreek said:

They have stated that most don't get handgun training. You disagree?

Click to expand...

I disagree with you saying "most get zero training."

Again, things have changed. My last two OIF deployments before I retired, everyone got to shoot handguns. Granted, for some, depending on MOS/rating, it was only fam-fire, but it was more than zero.

Old Dog said:

I disagree with you saying "most get zero training."

Again, things have changed. My last two OIF deployments before I retired, everyone got to shoot handguns.

Click to expand...

So what are you saying then? Do most soldiers, sailors and Marines get handgun training or not? I'm also curious about your choice of words. "Got to shoot handguns" isn't really the same thing, necessarily, as "received handgun training". Did I interpret that statement wrong?

Old Dog said:

I disagree with you saying "most get zero training."

Again, things have changed. My last two OIF deployments before I retired, everyone got to shoot handguns. Granted, for some, depending on MOS/rating, it was only fam-fire, but it was more than zero.

Click to expand...

That's like me driving a race car around the track one lap at 60 MPH. Doesn't make me a competent race car driver.

I've stated my position before on other posts concerning young enlisted military personnel having private firearms in the barracks or on their person. I did almost 21 years in the army and was an NCO for 18 of those years supervising young 18 and 19 year old soldiers. I served in air defense artillery, military police, combat engineers and field artillery so I've had exposure to a number of different fields and the people that are in those military specialties. Many were competent and level headed but there was that 10% of immature and childish types that found all kinds of way to get into trouble. Add alcohol to the mix in the barracks with a group of testosterone hyped young men with that 10% in there and you are going to have a serious incident with a firearm. When deployed in a combat area there is no alcohol for everyone to get drunk on and there are a lot of NCOs and Officers on hand to keep things under control. In garrison back at their home base most NCOs and officers live off post and aren't there to keep tabs on what is happening in the barracks. During field training exercises everyone carries their assigned weapon but don't get caught with live ammo, you will be in a world of hurt. Yes in combat soldiers are firing mortars, machine guns, artillery and small arms but they are supervised about as closely as you can be supervised. Once an individual has reached NCO rank he has demonstrated judgement and maturity and should be allowed to carry a personal weapon.

outstanding! finally, a marine base that is not a gun-free zone.

murf

George Dickel said:

That's like me driving a race car around the track one lap at 60 MPH. Doesn't make me a competent race car driver.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I get that most folks here are former members of SEAL teams or Special Forces, ranked IPSC shooters and cops with PPC titles.

You guys are truly picking nits. All I said, was that in this era, most servicemembers receive more pistol training than at any time in the past. At least now the military is showing them what end the bullet comes out. What do you guys want, everyone getting sent to Gunsite once they make E-2?

At our local air force base anyone with the law enforcement certification can carry on base. The sign also says concealed carry permits don't count.
I did my 20, most of it the air force. When I was in a tactical com unit we qualified with handgun & rifle twice a year. The site defense folks had to qualify with m-60

The real question is what is the gun in the picture?

I don't recognize it.

Old Dog said:

What do you guys want, everyone getting sent to Gunsite once they make E-2?

Click to expand...

What I want is for you to answer my question. I said that most military members don't get handgun training. You said you disagreed with me saying that but you never actually said that it was an incorrect statement. Was I incorrect or not?

murf said:

outstanding! finally, a marine base that is not a gun-free zone.

murf

Click to expand...

Did you read the article?