Guys, I don't know where we've been getting our members, but it seems like quite a few think that they need to be police officers or members of our armed services in order to shoot.
That is FAR FROM THE CASE. In fact, police and soldiers generally shoot a lot less than many of our civilian long term members on this forum.
Either you guys need to move to a free state, or maybe check with your supervisor on the message you are supposed to be disseminating.
Dear Mr. Elite Civilian,
Soldiers are Americans too. THe gun nuts that are in the Army shoot the same as the gun nuts in the civilian world. If you take time on the weekends or after work to go to the range, so does your gun nut counterpart in the Army. If you're talking about comparing the time we shoot on the job versus the time you shoot during your time off, that's a slanted equation, no? I can bet you a soldier shoots more on the job than you do in your job. I can bet you that a civilianb gun nut that joins the army and has the same amount of free time as you, shoots the same amount of time as you as well. I'm tired of this cviilian/soldier divide that some people like creating. News flash: soldiers are "civilians" when they're not wearing a uniform--which is largely the same amount of time that you are out of your "uniform" (i.e. suit, tie, slacks, polo shirt, Mcdonalds hat, whatever).
Play along here. Take two clones of the same exact person, with the same exact hobbies, and magically place one in a pocket dimension in which he was in the Army and the other one in which he was an paper salesman. THe one in the Army would have shot more. Both would have shot roughly the same amount in their free time. But one would have shot more on the job.
But I get what you're trying to get at Bogie. I've argued it in several threads in the past. Being a soldier (or a cop, haha!) is not a carte blanche on being a "gun expert." They aren't. At least not any moreso than any other American. Bottom line: gun nuts are everywhere in every walk of life. THey can be bakers, teachers, or cops, or soldiers. LIkewise, there are anti-gun activists or the gun-ignorant in the realm of soldiering, baking, teaching, etc.
LEt's not forget the original poster asked about trigger time in his potential FREE TIME. Not range time on the job.
Fortunately, I can actually answer this for scouts. I'm a Cavalry Officer. Forgive me, I'm a tanker by job, but it's a luck of the draw for us Armor officers--we're "universal" cav, belonging to both light and heavy (scout and tank, respectively). I'm in a cav regiment, but I'm not a scout platoon leader, but a line tank one. EIther way, it's still in the cav lineage (just don't tell a tanker and a scout they're from the same tree).
As a lower enlisted, POW (personally owned weapon) is severely regulated by your chain of command if you live on post. It will be registered to the provost marshall, and kept in your company's arms room. YOu'll need your commander's approval. Getting it out for off duty range time is nigh impossible, because the armorer will need to do it, and he' won't like doing so just so you can shoot off some rounds after work.
AS others have said, it's a 9--to-5 with big caveats: field problems, duty details, deployment. Especially as a joe enlisted, though, if you're not in the field or stuck on some detail, you'll likely be free by 5pm.
If you have POW from home that you'd like to shoot on weekends, etc, most jr. enlisted would keep it at a VERY TRUSTED friend's house off post. Bottom line, if you like shooting, your hobby will stay with you, regardless of your job. BUt for a post for another time, be very aware that the military is a gigantic nanny-state for its junior enlisted. You will have everything from taking showers to making your bed to eating to riding motorcycles, etc, etc, scrutinized by "big brother." I won't go into that discussion, i've had it plenty of times on this and other forums (search).
GUns and ammo are only at certain PXes. Ft Knox had guns (you won't be able to buy any because you'll only be there for OSUT). Ft Sill, IIRC, maybe...but what would a scout be doing at a schoolhouse? That's no to Ft Irwin, Ft Lewis (again, if memory serves). That's a definite "no" to all OCONUS posts. Ft Hood, home to boat loads of scouts, does not have any at either of our PXes or Sportsman Center, but Texas in general is a great state to buy guns in. (the nonexistence of public land to shoot on, though, is another matter)
Glock and Sig both give fairly substantial military discounts.
SCOUTS OUT
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