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March 22, 2009
Military Demands Details On Soldiers' Private Guns
Military demands details on soldiers' private guns
Fort Campbell command reversed under pressure
A military commander at Fort Campbell in Kentucky demanded his soldiers give him the registration numbers of any guns they own privately and then reveal where they are stored.
The order was stopped, according to base officials, when it was discovered the commander was not "acting within his authority."
The original order was issued on the letterhead of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment and said effective March 11, any soldier with a "privately owned weapon" was required to submit the information, along with any information about any concealed carry permit the soldier may have, and what state issued the permit.
Further, the rule warned, "If any soldier comes into possession of a Privately Owned Weapon following the effective date of this memorandum, he is required to inform the Chain of Command of the above information."
One soldier who objected to the demands circulated the memo, commenting that he lives off post.
"It just seems a little coincidental to me that within 90 days the most anti-firearm president in history is inaugurated, some of the nastiest anti-firearm laws are put on the table in Washington, and then the Army comes around wanting what amounts to a registration on all firearms, even if they are off post, and doesn't provide any reason or purpose as to why," the soldier said.
Base spokeswoman Cathy Gramling told WND the letter apparently was a mistake. She said the base requires anyone bringing a privately owned weapon onto the installation to register it.
"As a response to a number of negligent discharges of privately owned weapons, the command decided to explore how to implement a training program for soldiers with privately owned weapons. Their goal is to identify soldiers with firearms and provide additional safety training to them, much like our motorcycle and driver safety classes," she said.
"Our soldiers train and operate in combat with M-4 carbines and various other military weapons, but not all who purchase their own weapons are properly trained to handle them. Determining which soldiers possess weapons will allow the command to identify the soldiers who may require additional training on them," she said.
Gramling said the memo was "from a subordinate unit commander who, at the time, believed he was acting within his authority." She said requiring the information was halted when it was discovered the commander was not within his authority.
The process has been suspended pending a full review, she said.
"This is not an effort to infringe on soldiers' rights to own firearms," Gramling told WND.
Mistake or not, the commander's order comes on the heels of a Department of Defense policy that limited the supply of ammunition available to the private gun owners by requiring destruction of fired military cartridge brass.
That policy already had been implemented and had taken a bite out of the nation's stressed ammunition supply before it was reversed this week.
Wild Thing's comment........
"Our soldiers train and operate in combat with M-4 carbines and various other military weapons, but not all who purchase their own weapons are properly trained to handle them. Determining which soldiers possess weapons will allow the command to identify the soldiers who may require additional training on them," she said.
This is the oddest statement !
Ft. Campbell is home of the Screaming Eagles, 101st Airborne Division - these are all combat soldiers. This is an infantry division and every one of them knows guns and gun safety like a pilot knows the plane or a sailor knows the seas.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Posted by Wild Thing at March 22, 2009 04:47 AM
Comments
Well, this is the start of getting rid of the 2nd amendment. Why should anyone in the service have to explain what weapons they own themselves? If it's the so called "wrong" ones, are they going to take them away? Who in charge at Fort Campbell is the wussie in charge? That statement is a canned statement for the press only. They tried something like that out here years ago, where the hospitals got together and told their employees from housekeeping to nurses and doctors that they couldn't smoke in their private cars or homes and if it was found out that they were, they would be fired immediately. That went over like a lead balloon and didn't stick around.
Posted by: Lynn at March 22, 2009 07:40 AM
Many instillation's do require you to register firearms on base if you live in military family housing. Those that live in the barracks have to register and keep them in the armory as they'll never allow private weapons in the barracks. People that live off base come under that particular states law. As far as transporting firearms on base, most will follow state laws.
Posted by: BobF at March 22, 2009 10:21 AM
"...how to implement a training program for soldiers with privately owned weapons. Their goal is to identify soldiers with firearms and provide additional safety training to them..."
That doesn't require a serial number, Ms PIO.
Posted by: Rick at March 22, 2009 11:50 AM
WTF is this they already trained us for "negligent discharges" it's called Basic Training. As far as Privately Owned Weapons that covers most if not all Military Members and if the soliers have weapons already they would have registered them with the installation if so required. This is just someone in the brass overstepping his authority (he's probably a planted rat under big brother's direct orders, that's a common practice by CID, don't put it past the chosen one) and trying to cover it up with a lame ass excuse. It's an unlawful order and I'm glad the Troops resisted it. I would and I will.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at March 22, 2009 04:46 PM
Liberals are everywhere even in the Military. Look at all the leaks from the Pentagon during Bush. They the Libs did everything to discredit him.
Posted by: Mark at March 22, 2009 06:38 PM
Lynn, yes, I sure hate to see all these liberal laws, rules etc. even exist in our military.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 22, 2009 07:09 PM
BobF., thank you for the informtation, I didn't know that.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 22, 2009 07:11 PM
Rick, I agree, haha
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 22, 2009 07:13 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, I agree and I bet the person that did this is going to get in big trouble for it.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 22, 2009 07:15 PM
Mark, your right, I remember that guy in the Navy that had become a Muslim and he was giving secrets from his ship to someone in Iran.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 22, 2009 07:19 PM
