I am also a vet and I say again, keeping our troops unarmed is making them targets. Once upon a time we didn’t need our troops to be armed in on post, except for gate guards, things have changed. As for armed troops being dangerous to us, that is BS. Israeli soldiers not only go armed all the time, so do the civilians. The CIC would have no more power if our troops went armed then he does now. Our posts all have armories on them and the CIC could have these weapons issued if he wished to try a take over.
The other issue is more mundane.
Can you imagine the accountability nightmare of military weapons floating around 24/7. From the 18 year old kid facing administrative discharge for losing his weapon to the dirtbag looking for weapons to steal to the reporters jumping up and down in glee reporting weapons stollen or even better a crime committed with a stollen military weapon.
If the base wants to impliment a concealed weapons permit program with personal weapons, I would be fine with that. Government issued weapons of war should be in the armory when in CONUS and not being used for training or legal orders. Maybe I’m out of touch, but it just seems to go against military order and the whole concept of a military under civilian control to have our men carrying combat weapons routinely here in the states.
It’s not the weapon that I have a problem with. More the picture in my mind of armed military units walking the streets. It just feels unconstitutional. And yes I know we are not talking about the military walking post in our neighborhoods, but I’m trying to convey the essence of my discomfort.
By the way, when I was in the service, my military weapon was in the armory, but I usually had a .45 handy, not because I felt I needed it for self defense, thank God, but because we went out to the pistol range and shot most days after work.