| Subject: Re: 2A: No personal firearms on base???? |
Author:
Skip
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 10:51:37 03/16/09 Mon
In reply to:
email
's message, "2A: No personal firearms on base????" on 07:49:55 03/16/09 Mon
Jackie -
I'm a retired Army puke who has spent a lot of time at Ft. Bliss and with this issue while in the military. Since I retired in 1984, some of this info may be outdated. First of all understand that a military installation IS federal government property and, like most federal property, it is illegal to have privately owned firearms on that property except in certain circumstances. Normally it is standard procedure in the US that those military personnel who live on the installation can maintain their privately owned firearms in their on-installation government quarters if those quarters are "family" units. Those military personnel living in the "barracks" or in semi-private apartments were typically required to store their private weapons in the unit's arms room. Regardless of circumstances, regulations require that any private weapon brought on to a military installation be registered on that installation. Typically this is done at the Provost Marshal's office or a similar military police office. Over the years it has not been unusual for a military installation to "require" that weapons owned by those assigned to that installation, even living off the installation, still register their weapons on the base. In the past this was typically ignored by personnel living off-base unless they were taking that weapon on the base for some reason, like the firing range... Back then, and today, if you enter a military installation with an unregistered private weapon in your vehicle, and do not advise security of it and subsequently follow proper procedure, you are in deep s#!T..!! I can almost guarantee that your weapon will be confiscated and never returned and you may also be subject to courts martial. This could literally lead to loss of all rank and possibly loss of retirement pay, etc.. It matters not if the person bringing the weapon on to the installation has a CHL or similar in the "civilian" world; going through the entrance gate on to the installation now puts you in the government's world and subject to their complete control. If you don't wish to accept that then don't drive on to the installation. They take this stuff VERY seriously.
Another thing to consider at Ft. Bliss is that it is in El Paso, TX, and quite close to the Mexican border. This may be a just local policy by the Commanding General of Ft. Bliss because of their rather unique situation. For decades it has not been unusual for criminals to enter Ft Bliss, steal private property, and flee across the border into Mexico which is only a few minutes away. As I understand it the Mexicans have even arrested military police for chasing thieves into Mexico without authority and then confiscating their vehicles, weapons, etc. It would not take the theft or very many firearms from on-base housing to convince the post commander to require all private weapons be stored in the unit arms rooms as a security precaution to prevent stolen weapons from being taken to Mexico. Considering the area, I can also see the rational, although not agree with it, for a do-gooder installation commander to use this as a pretense for registering and possibly storing the privately owned weapons of the military personnel assigned to that installation; even those living off the base. Back in the "good old days" the info on registered privately owned weapons was simply stored on index-sized cards in a card file on base. I always made sure that when I cleared a base I would retrieve all of my weapons cards so as not to leave that information behind. Now I would presume that information is stored in a computer (it was not back then). If so, this would/could easily be de facto national registration of all privately owned weapons by military personnel since info put into government computers seems to remain there forever..
One thing to remember here is that when a person joins the military they are essentially selling themselves into a system that is quite different from the civilian world. Yes, they must obey civilian law but they are also subject to military law, which can be quite different. Even after retirement from the military, persons like myself remain subject to many aspects of military law and regulations. The on-base registration of privately owned weapons, however, is required of all who enter the base, with the exception of civilian law enforcement personnel, I believe.
To help put things in perspective however, IMHO, I believe that it is also illegal for a civilian, even civilian law enforcement personnel, to enter any federal property while packing heat without specific authorization. I believe that if the issue is to be pushed, federal authorities have the horsepower to even arrest civilians with CHL's and non-federal LEOs in the parking lots of U.S. Post Offices, and similar areas should they desire. That parking lot is frequently considered to be federal property and subject to federal law if someone decides to pick nits about it. Typically that doesn't happen, at least here in TX.
The note below by the E-7, SFC, appears to be filled with a good deal of "sour grapes" about this and other issues. While I don't know the specific circumstances, it would seem to me that a simple call to the Ft. Bliss Provost Marshal's office could produce the specifics of the policy. Then too, they may even have it on a website. It's probably not that difficult to check out should one wish to do so. In a similar manner, one could check the policies of other military installations to see if it is a nation-wide policy, a specific service-wide policy, or simply a local policy.
Hope this helps..
Peace,
Skip
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
