My thoughts on same from GT GnG forum:
I can believe that such an order would be given, I can believe that some would follow it, especially how any large grab would be preceded by a large media push about how gun owners were terrorists threatening the peace of the world. I still believe that a good number of Marines would find it in their heart to not only ignore the order, but detain or shoot the idiot that gave it. The original numbers came from a small group that were surveyed as part of a Naval Officer's post-grad thesis, don't remember his overall subject, it wasn't gun control. The respondents were overwhelmingly young new Marines, still pumped with the boot camp spirit. I don't think you'd get the same from senior NCO's who had some life experience and were also family men. At a certain point you have to understand there are orders that shouldn't be given, and ones that shouldn't be followed, not just a blind Hurrah to whatever somebody with one more stripe wants done.
I see they didn't ask sailors, they sometimes have trouble with orders like "tie your boots" If you told them to take guns away from Americans, I don't care if it was the CNO giving the order, the reply would contain "you want the guns stuck where?"
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Ian has some valid points, in that the gun owners who did not like confiscation would be demonized in the media and official briefings. A us vs. them mentality would be pushed by the higher ups. Some NCO's would be heard to use the classic cop out "Boys, I don't like this, but division said to get this done" (Leadership rule: Give every order as if it were your own). I still think that some fine upstanding servicemember would handle business and shoot the SOB giving the order. If I got the order to give the order I would desert if possible, shoot the SOB if possible, and tell my superiors I was going to do both before I did. Somebody mentioned civil war, they're not far off. It would be ugly.
In the end, I believe in the individual servicemember, we are still Americans, we love our country, we volunteered, and we want to be able to go home to a town as good or better than when we left. We also swore to uphold the Constitution in that same oath, before the foreign and domestic part. The one I first took said "lawful order" that has been changed to "all orders of the President of the U.S. and all officers appointed over me" It is still taught in lessons on Code of Conduct that it is understood that you only obey lawful orders.
"Just following orders" ala;
"the key is not the 19 year old private, nor is it his Sargeant, but rather his legal orders to commit such an act. Remember, he has sworn to protect against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Who is issuing his orders? That's the key man. There's your threat to individual gun-
didn't work at Nuremburg, won't work now. I'm sure there are many in the military who would use that cop out, I'm not one of them.
Give a little credit to the military, they do have working brains. The younger generation will most certainly question orders given that make no sense. Adopting a screaming DI "Do it now because I said so" approach may work with infantry draftees, but it doesn't work well anywhere in our military.(Except bootcamp and in the XO's office) Sure, petty tyrants use these approaches, but they are usually undermined, re-assigned, ignored as much as possible, etc. A smart leader will understand that a troop questioning an order is not saying that they won't do it, but rather that the order giver failed to personalize his message to the target audience and their personal level of motivation, understanding what have you. I have never had a problem wwith time critical orders either, at worst, do it now and I will explain later has to be used, not often. In non-critical situations it is always "would you please" or "I need you to do this now". 98% understand that I am "asking" to be personable and treat them as a human being. Point is, most military folks aren't going to take well an order to "defend yourselves if fired upon" ..."But, sir, aren't these Americans?" Just do it soldier" It ain't gonna work well. You're gonna have to give that troop a weapon and ammo, and he knows whether or not the ordergiver is wearing Kevlar.
, Art
