Posted on 11/06/2009 7:12:24 AM PST by marktwain
A murderous rampage killing was carried out today at Texas' Ft. Hood Army base by American Army Major Malik Nadal Hasan.
According to news reports, ten soldiers and two civilians were killed and thirty-one wounded in the attack. Initial reports said Hasan was also killed in an exchange of gunfire with a female officer, but it now appears he is in custody, and in stable condition. Reports also said two other suspects, who are also soldiers, were also apprehended, then later released.
From the ABC News:
[Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone] said there were "eyewitness accounts of more than one shooter," and the others were tracked to an adjacent facility.
Cone called the attack "a terrible tragedy, stunning." He said the community was "absolutely devastated."
President Obama called the Fort Hood shootings a "horrific outburst of violence."
...Cone said the motive for the attack, which took place just after 1:30 p.m. CT, is unclear.
When news first breaks about yet another tragic mass shooting in this country, the minds of many gun owners go immediately to wondering whether it occured (like the vast majority do) in a "no-guns" zone, where the victims are rendered defenseless either by law or policy.
One would like to think that, of all the government-controlled properties in America that have been turned into "no-guns" victim zones, our Army bases would not be among them.
If you thought that, however, you thought wrong.
According to a source quoted by ABC News, "it is rare for firearms to be on the base because they are locked up." And according to a source of my own, who was once stationed on this base, concealed carry is prohibited.
Indeed, Lt. Gen. Cone is quoted as saying "as a matter of practice, we don't carry weapons here, this is our home."
What are we coming to in America when even a United States Army base is rendered a "no-guns" zone?
Again, from the story:
Cone said that a gunman entered a facility known as the Soldier Readiness Facility, where soldiers who are preparing to deploy go for last minute medical check ups and dental treatment. Sources told ABC News that the soldiers gathered there were getting ready to deploy to Iraq.
The gunman used two handguns, Cone said. He wasn't sure if the shooter reloaded the weapons during the attack.
America's military servicemen and women deserve better than to be rendered defenseless except in times of training, or when they are deployed overseas and anticipating hostile contact. And they deserve better than to be rendered defenseless here at home, by "no-guns" policies on base, or by laws such as those in Ohio that prevent the sale of a handgun to anyone under 21, even to someone who is active duty or a veteran (O.R.C. § 2923.21).
We trust our young soldiers with the full might of the U.S. military. Surely we can trust them with a handgun carried for their own protection here at home.
Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.
Most likely those M4’s were unloaded or at the least did not have a round in the chamber.
The question is whether I think any base commander would issue such an order unless the installation was on high alert in response to a specific situation. Based on 51 years experience as a dependent, active duty and reserve military type, my answer is no: unless there’s a specific threat, no installation commander is going to give a blanket concealed- or open-carry authorization order. Not that they shouldn’t, just that they won’t.
Colonel, USAFR
That isn’t the question I asked. It is the question we both knew the answer to. It isn’t a question of the law, but one of politics.
We are in violent agreement: as the situation currently stands, the assumption is that military members can be trusted with weapons overseas but not at home. It is ludicrous in the extreme. I’m actually putting something together in the way of a petition to my congressmen (Cornyn, Hutchison, Ciro Rodriguez and Charlie Gonzalez) to repeal that section of the US Code and specifically permit military members with state CHLs and peace officers to carry on base. Anybody interested in coordinating? Pass this on to whoever might be interested, including the guy with the Armed Citizen Ping List.
Colonel, USAFR
Colonel, USAFR
Bump!
I haven’t heard anyone mention that 14 people died in that attack....the victim that was pregnant...her baby died also.
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