Joining the Navy, what happens to my guns?

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Joey_the_Wolf

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Hi all, maybe some of the current/former military members here can help me out with this question. I've been thinking of signing up for a few years now, and I finally decided to do it. I figure that I'm 20 years old (turn 21 in April) and it's about time I leave the house and get started on my own, so I decided after much careful thought to enlist in The US Navy. I'm planning on being either a Master at Arms (LEO) or a Gunner's Mate (Armorer/weapon's tech). I should be able to score high enough on the ASVAB to get either just fine.

But here is my question. I have a couple of handguns that my mom had bought me (Glock 23 with 13 round mags and Rock Island 1911A1) as well as a single shot 12 gauge shotgun. I have recently been putting alot of thought as what I should do with them. I'm not selling them, because I really like them and plan on hanging on to them. But I obviously can't have them with me during Boot Camp or A School (which for Gunner's Mate is over 112 days). I plan on leaving them with a trusted family member, but what happens afterwards? Am I allowed to have them once I get assigned a duty station? I am guessing that I'm not allowed to have them on barracks and they'll have to be in an armory or something, and I don't really feel too comfortable with the armorers screwing around with my guns (even though I might be one of the armorers...) and since I'm a single junior enlisted guy, I probably won't be able to live off base (I'll sure try but I probably won't be allowed to for at least a year or two). Then there's that whole 4-8 months at sea thing every year. As a Gunner's Mate I'm sure I'll get plenty of trigger time to satisfy my trigger finger, but I'm just concerned about what happens to my personal guns, if I were to say... get sent to Japan (with VERY strict gun laws) or a place like Hawaii or California (with gun laws that are pretty bad). I wonder if I'm just better off leaving them with my family for the next 4-6 years till I get out or at least get a place off base in a gun friendly area. What do you military guys recommend I do?
 
I think it's pretty uniform across the services as far as this goes, so I will speak from my experiences in the Army. When you get to your first duty station, you can bring your firearms with you. You will have to register them with the provost marshall, and then check them into your units armory room. While mine were in the armory I would remove the fring pins, or the bolts, or the triggers. Just something to keep the pistol from locking. Also you may be able to put a lock on the weapon that would make it so it is inopperable. The only reason why you would want to do this is so that some can't jack around with your weapon, and dry fire it, or just rack the slide a bunch out of boredom. As far as living off post I always favored staying on. Sure you have more freedom living off post, but it comes at a price. In the barracks you can live with no bills, and have lots of money to save. Just buy a cheap car, don't get any credit cards, and you'll have lots of money for new guns, and still have a bunch to save.
 
The way it works with us over here is that you get the CO's signature of approval on it, along with whatever registry the base wants, then it goes in the armory.

Be real wary though man, armorers can be sheisty when it comes to custom weapons. I've known of one that actually took out a pistol that someone brought in for safekeeping and shot it over the weekend without telling the owner.

Like the poster above me said, I'd strongly recommend taking out some key components of the pistol so noone can really mess with it.
 
[off topic]

As far as living off post I always favored staying on. Sure you have more freedom living off post, but it comes at a price. In the barracks you can live with no bills, and have lots of money to save. Just buy a cheap car, don't get any credit cards, and you'll have lots of money for new guns, and still have a bunch to save.
Click to expand...

Good advice, except for one bit. If you have credit cards, don't get any more. If you have none, do get some, two would be best.

Here's why.

Without a credit history you won't have a credit score. No credit score means you can't buy a house later. Use credit wisely, don't fear it. You can use credit cards to pay for things you would have to pay cash with anyway (gas, food, necessities) just make sure you pay them off.

If you do finance a car, that's okay, just don't get some uber-sportscar with a stupid (for a young guy) $600 payment.

I'm a mortgage banker, from what the credit scorers' tell us they like to see a mix of credit. An installment debt, like a car loan and 2 revolving accounts (credit cards) are the "perfect mix". Older credit is better than newer credit, don't close an account just to open a new one, you need to establish a payment history on each account, the longer the better.

The key of course is to always pay your bills on time.

[/off topic]
 
I agree with the above posters, although we didn't have a problem with any shenanigans. As far as racking the slide, the armorer onboard ship kept my Gold Cup, my AR-15, a Ruger M-77 in 7mm Rem Mag, a Weatherby Athena in 12ga, and a Ruger Security Six and he kept them clean and happy. I was even allowed to visit;) Just be above boards and don't try to pull anything you'll be fine. And if it's a truely rare or fine firearm, a family member might be the best bet. But I always liked to have them around me:)

Jim
 
First, congratulations on your decision to join the worlds most powerful and professional Navy.

I'm currently in my 21st year of active duty with the United States Navy and have been able to have my guns with me the entire 21 years with the exception of my 3 years living in Japan and when I go to sea. You can check them into the base armory or have a friend that lives out in town store them for you.

You will never be allowed to have them in the barracks but can have them in base housing if you're married.

The advice you have been given so far is right on.

Best of luck.

P.S. I'm a US Navy Recruiting Supervisor and would be happy to answer any Navy or Recruiting questions you may have. Just email or PM me.
 
Joining the Navy - Guns

I retired in 1998 after 23 years. A lot of changes over those years. Since most of it was spent at sea on cruisers and destroyers, I'll talk to my experience.

Early on you could store your firearms in the ships armory. Ships generally owned a few skeet or trap guns and had ammo for welfare and rec to shoot off the fantail.

Slowly changed, first no private ammo, then no welfare and rec guns. Then no storage of private guns. Politically correct was the standing order.

Ultimately it will depend on your commanding officer. If it were me, I would have said yes. Most will say no.

You have a lot of training ahead of you. Plan on leaving your guns behind for at least the first two years and focus on your job and shipboard qualifications.

Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
I was an armorer

For a time I ran the arms room at our company level, And I do not recommend storing POW's (personal owned weapons) in the arms room. In order for you to retrieve them from the armory, say for a weekend trip you had to request in writing to the company commander. You had to state why you wanted them, where you will store them when not in use, How long you wanted them for, where were you going with them. And then the CO could not even let you take them for whatever reason. Depending on the man you may never see, or touch them while he is in command. I've seen it before!

As well as the person running the arms room has full access to your gun, do you trust them? Will they pick them up and "play" with them, scratch them, drop them. Dont think you can just grease them up lock them in a case ond forget them noooooooo. Every weapon upon opening and closing the armory has to be seen and counted. Once a month a serial number count has to be done. All this means not only the armor but the NCO or officer conducting inventory can will have to pick up your guns at some point. All this with you not being there. How many complete strangers do you trust with your gun?

My advice....Lay low, do not bring any firearms with you at first, learn who is your CO, your armorer, check the regs some places, or posts may be different. Make friends with a married guy in your unit who shares a love for the sport as you do and ask to store them at his house.

Avoid at all costs putting them in the arms room
 
When I was in, I kept my guns in a storage locker off-base. Getting them out of the arms room was really not worth it. If you know someone living off-base that you REALLY, REALLY trust, you might see if you can keep it at that person's house. Naturally, if you are riding a ship all over the world, the arms room will be your only option.
 
Most of my active buddies sold 'em rather than leave them in the armory with said goons who are gonna ding them up. If you've got a family member or very close friend who can safe them up for you, it might be the better alternative. Storage lockers are risky as I've heard of some that do not insure against loss, sometimes specifically for guns and other high-priority grab items. I could be wrong on that but I'd rather leave them with family than alone in a locker.
 
Yeah, but homes get robbed, too. Wherever you keep them, it's best to be discreet. Don't let anyone see you putting guns into a storage locker or bringing guns into the house. Not because you're ashamed of anything, but to keep them from the attention of thieves.
 
Thanks

Hey, thanks for all the replies, I appreciate them. I was thinking of the possibility of getting some public storage off base somewhere if I was stationed in the US in a state that I didn't really have to go through too much hassle to own guns in (meaning somewhere other than New York, CA, HI, etc) and just storing my guns off base somewhere. And if I were to be sent to some place that wasn't too gun friendly, I'd just leave them at a family member's house. The family member I'm thinking of is married to a cop who would be more than happy to let me store my guns in his garage for however long I need to, so I might just do that until I have a place of my own or until I live in an area where I can get cheap, safe public storage with no legal hassles (registration, mag capacity issues, etc). In any event, I'll probably be really busy with training and Navy life to shoot much, and seeing how I'm trying to be a Gunner's Mate, I'll probably get my fair share of trigger time regardless.
Oh and to LBTRS, I appreciate that offer and I'll be sure to ask you any questions that I may have about the Navy or any Recruitment questions.

Thanks again everyone.
 
time to learn Navy lesson #1....

N ever
A gain
V olunteer
Y ourself ...................:neener:

My advice.....leave them at home untill your done with boot camp, your A-school and get to the ship.

Live on base for the first year, untill you get things figured out......here's why.......my crystal ball tells me your going to sea shipmate! for a good long time. Expect 6 months.

The Navy's op. tempo. is at an all time high. Clinton spent the "peace dividend" on cuban cigars and now we're at war with fewer ships.

I had shipmates who rented apartments in town who slept in their own bed fewer than 20 nights in a year......why? It's called duty! You'll be standing watch in the in-port duty section (over night, sleeping on the ship) every fourth day if your lucky. (We were 3 section more often than not.....and that was Gulf War #1.) Why spend all that cash for an appartment you won't see much of?

Good advice on avoiding debt! Saw more than on Captain's Mast (NJP) for failure to repay debts. OBTW, the Navy is going to take your legal obligation to repay your debts very seriously. Financial problems make you susceptable to cohersion.....you'll quickly lose your security clearance and your job.

Now go do us all proud!
 
I work for Commander, Second Fleet.

I can tell you the following:
Norfolk has the largest US Navy base in the world. We have a lot of sailors here, myself included.
You may NOT bring a firearm on NAVSTA NORFOLK. Period. I have tried and tried and tried. There's not even a way for my boss, a three-star, to do it legally.
Now, you have other choices. You will advance very quickly. It may not seem like it at first, but you will.
After you make E-4, and can get BAH, which is Basic Allowance for Housing. This is tax-free, and enough money for you and a buddy to get an apartment together. You will of course have your weapons there. It will be a place to live, and it will be off-base. We don't have a very good way to house sailors on base here unless they have families. You could stay on your ship, if that's where you go, but there isn't base housing available for everybody, we just don't have anywhere for 385,000 people to live.
So, get a place, then get your guns. You will feel naked without them for a while, but that's just how it is.
Oh, and before I forget, don't get married. Yes, she IS like that, and you WILL have the same problems as everyone else. You will live in Navy towns for the next several years. Don't lose sight of that. Here in Navyville, USA, we are second-class citizens. Every cop that pulls you over jsut arrested a sailor, and every judge you see will look at you like the guy who knocked up his granddaughter. I'm telling you this to ensure that you be VERY careful about gun laws wherever your carrier takes you. In Kali, for example, you CAN'T HAVE those Glock magazines. They go past ten rounds.
Let us all know how things are going, and if you come to VA, we'll shoot together.
Best,
Steve.
 
I didn't do anywhere NEAR as long as some of the previous posters, but I'm gonna (second? third? Whatever) whas already been said: stay on base, and avoid debt as much as possible. Forget for awhile that the opposite sex even exists... it's safer. Most of the guys that I saw get in trouble, got there because of going out chasing skirts. THE single most intelligent guy on my ship barely ever left: he had a couple handheld videogames he would occassionally buy new games for, and all the rest of his money he was saving...

Leave the guns with your family member. That takes care of more problems than you'ld imagine (not only compliance with local laws and suchlike, but bringing 'em home when you go on leave and want to be able to shoot). If you find something good while at a duty station, you can always pick it up...

DO try to further your education while in. You can get most of the gen ed classes needed for a degree out of the way while you're serving: saw more than one DC Central midwatch passed with homework. Use your first enlistment to set yourself up ahead of the game... if you decide to go career, you won't really have lost anything (and if you do only one hitch, you ARE ahead then)...

Good luck, and remember: a Squid is a fish that craps on Marine life! :neener:
 
different for officers???

Crazy Uncle...

no....but....officers are...

paid more and can afford better digs in town
tend to get hastled less by shore patrol and base security

so they can get away with more

SteveRacer...

I've heard the second class citizen thing many times, but fortunately never experienced it. I was always stationed at smaller bases that were almost exclusively made up of submariners. Small town USA (Portsmouth, NH, Groton, CT, etc...) appreciates the jobs the Navy brings.
 
no....but....officers are...

paid more and can afford better digs in town
tend to get hastled less by shore patrol and base security

so they can get away with more
Click to expand...

21 years in the Navy and I've never been "hastled" by shore patrol or base security. Then again, I've never been doing something I shouldn't be doing, that may explain it.
 
Out of curiosity, is it any different for officers?
Click to expand...

The one time I lived in a BOQ (Bachelor Officer's Quarters) for six months, you could keep firearms in your room provided you kept them locked up.

You had to register them with PMO (Provost Marshall's Office), and could only transport them (locked and unloaded) to the base shooting range, or to off-base. All concealed carry permits are invalid once you cross onto Fed property.

-MV
 
If you choose to take your firearms with you in your Navy career, keep in mind you are deployable at a moment's notice wherever you are assigned. Have a plan for quickly shipping them to a family member or storing them in a very secure place if you get instant orders to pack your bags and report for transportation overseas.

Pilgrim
 
Listen closely to SSNVet. He speaks wisely. 3 section absolutely blows.
Click to expand...

That's why it's called "service" to your country. It would be called summer camp if it was all fun and games.

If you're not prepared for sacrifice don't join the military.
 
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