“Nothing is ever ‘perfectly still,’ precisely ‘at rest’
Leonard Susskind
Privately-owned guns on military bases?
Our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, publicly announced yesterday that the era of our military bases being ‘gun-free zones” is now officially revoked.
Curious that this startling headline has speedily diffused throughout our military, police, and gun-owning sectors, but has been utterly (indeed contemptuously) ignored by the media, even Fox News. Our dishonest media obviously does not consider this good news, and so is covering it up, pretending it never happened!
This is something in favor of which I’ve been editorializing for some time, so I’m surely glad to hear the news.
However, as always “The Devil is in the details!” It was indeed an inspiring speech, but precious few specifics were contained therein.
Unanswered questions on everyone’s mind:
1) Does “service-members may now bring privately-owned guns on base” mean that these weapons may be in a high state of readiness (loaded) and routine carried concealed?
Or, does it mean that these weapons can be brought on base, but must be immediately, and at all times, securely locked within an armory, control of which rests with the base commander? If that’s the case, nothing has really changed.
Either way, how will privately-owned guns be secured when they are not actually being carried by service-members? Secured in housing? Secured in vehicles?
2) Does this new rule apply to concealed carry of knives, OC?
3) Will base-commanders be issuing military-wide CCW Permits to service members, permits which are honored on all military bases? If so, are these “Federal/military CCW Permits” honored off-base too (when issued at the federal level, I can’t imagine how they would not be)?
What about offshore military bases?
4) Will service-members who already have state-issued CCW Permits be automatically issued a “Federal/military CCW Permit,” or will their existing state-issued permit suffice by itself?
5) Will these “Federal/military CCW Permits” be restricted to certain ranks, living arrangements?
6) Does this new rule apply to all small arms, or just pistols?
7) Does the new rule still apply when troops are deployed?
In any event, I’m confident many high-level military careerists are at this very moment going apaplexic as they contemplate all foreseeable consequences of this precipitous announcement!
In the police business, we all carry loaded, concealed pistols continuously and regularly, and we have rifles and shotguns nearby (also in a high state of readiness), all with few issues. We’ve been doing it this way for many decades, all of my lifetime.
But, “going armed” requires substantial “cultural immersion.” You’re “one of us,” or you’re not!
I’m sincerely hoping our Secretary of War has a competent plan to get eligible service-members up-to-speed on this significant “cultural shift”
I’ll ask friends “in the System” to keep me posted.
/John
