Does the military follow the 4 rules?

[moxie]

JoeSchmoe,
I am an ex-soldier and I believe the situation you describe was a real, not perceived, danger. Very poor discipline. If I'd been the CO I would have welcomed your comments. The only time a soldier should ever point a weapon at a person in a training situation is carefully controlled force on force exercises, including MILES. Even then, a guy was killed not long ago during one of these through complacency, someone's weapon was in fact loaded. http://www.bluesheepdog.com/2010/09/24/another-law-enforcement-training-death/

 

[JoeShmoe]

JoeSchmoe,
I am an ex-soldier and I believe the situation you describe was a real, not perceived, danger. Very poor discipline. If I'd been the CO I would have welcomed your comments. The only time a soldier should ever point a weapon at a person in a training situation is carefully controlled force on force exercises, including MILES. Even then, a guy was killed not long ago during one of these through complacency, someone's weapon was in fact loaded. http://www.bluesheepdog.com/2010/09/24/another-law-enforcement-training-death/

I appreciate your input. I really didn't know what to make of it.

 

[jakenok]

It sounds like they might have been doing Civil Disturbance training drills if they were NG. Remember, the NG has a state mission too. When in college a long time ago before going on AD, I was in the Guard and at least once a semi year we did civil disturbance or riot drills. We did them on city streets (with prior coordination) and I am sure if alarmed quite a few people. If no blank firing adapter in the rifle, then I am almost 100% certain there was no magazine of ammunition in the M16.

To the poster who alluded to the Kent State incident, the NG has come a long way from those days and quite a few NG soldiers have spilled their blood or lost their lives in GWOT, so ease off the disparaging remarks....

 

[MasterSergeantA]

Training areas and ranges are becoming more scarce as development continues. A lot of National Guard armories are in populated areas. (Mine was in SIlver Spring, MD and overlooked a busy part of the Beltway.) If they were simply outside training and 'happened' to be pointing your direction, I would consider it "no harm, no foul". If one of them was deliberately tracking you, stopping to register your concern would not normally be considered out of line. The chances of them having ammunition would be low, but "the 4 rules" as you describe them ARE a part of their training. Without making any apologies for them, some units get a bit lackadaisical and/or fail to reinforce good weapons discipline. After 42 years in uniform and multiple trips to places where people were actively trying to kill me, I still get nervous when someone flags me with a muzzle. I have seen too may folks shot by accident and when I run the range here on Fort Huachuca, I get rather unhappy with people who wave their weapons around aimlessly. THEY may know they are unloaded, but I certainly won't count on it.

 

[clamman]

In boot camp, we all sat in a circle facing each other to practice dry firing m16a1's.

Felt kinda weird having all those guns facing you going click click click.

 

[michaelbsc]

I do a lot of work on military bases, and I get a lot of what I presume to be loaded automatic weapons casually pointed at me and at my vehicle at the gates all the time. And I *ALWAYS* check the trigger finger. And it's never been in the trigger guard that I've noted.

But I'm also not in a threatening posture. I present an ID, and I don't offer a challenge. That's quite a bit different than out casually running on a city street I'll agree. But I've always thought they weren't like Barney Fife where I needed to worry.

 

[beex215]

dont worry. you are good to go. its more then likely there was no ammo and you were the one that ran into the cross hairs.