I find it offensive and objectionable - and borderline criminal - that these people are unarmed at these recruitment and reserve facilities. For crying out loud, these are trained members of the United States military. I believe they've earned the right and trust to have a weapon on them, even at a low-key, recruiting office type of job. It’s a dangerous, messed-up world and it shouldn’t take horrific events like what happened today to make that obvious to the softer, more sheltered among us (many of whom are probably partially responsible for - or wholeheartedly support - moronic policies like this).
If anything comes out of this, that policy needs to be done away with.
If these people who were attacked had a weapon, they could've defended themselves and others. That’s their job. That’s why they volunteered to join our armed services. Why in the world would we remove that ability from them? Apparently they were sitting ducks and, despite being members of the military (whose primary job is to know how to use a weapon and fight, when needed), had no way to defend or protect themselves. I can’t even wrap my head around that. On what planet does this make sense?
It shouldn't be this way. This sickens me, just as a regular Joe on the street who supports and appreciates what the military of this country does.
I've said for years that I'm surprised this doesn't happen with some sort of sick frequency, because if some anti-government loon or foreign element wanted to "make a statement", these recruiting and reserve centers would be the ideal location to attack. They're military-related, but nowhere near as guarded and armed as an actual military base. I could walk into any of these offices, just to ask for directions or to use the restroom. And it shouldn't be that easy, for such a blatant target. In a sensible world, I would be stopped by an armed guard, asked what my business is at the facility and go from there. And if I can’t prove I have legitimate business there, I’m turned away…just as I would be if I tried to drive onto a military base without proper credentials or reason to be there.
Many of these people have likely spent time overseas in some of the worst hell-holes imaginable, evading snipers, IEDs and God-knows-what-else. Then they come home, to the U.S., and are going about their business and lives and get shot and killed in the one place that they should, in theory, be somewhat safe.
The people working in these facilities deserve better than this, and this is unacceptable.
This should never have happened. If four United States Marines had to die today in my hometown, they should've had, at the very least, a fighting chance to defend themselves. This moronic policy should be exposed for the senseless idiocy it is, and be revoked immediately. If trained members of our military aren’t allowed (or trusted) to carry a weapon to keep themselves safe from the dangerous, deranged idiots out there, then why even bother with all the rest of it? What’s the point?
I'm more angry today than I've been in ages. Do not let these four deaths be in vain.
Paul H. Scates
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Paul said it better than I could! Amen brother. Soft targets are way too easy for nuts.
Sue White
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I almost wrecked as I listened to the first news conference and a reporter asked if the location of the shooting was a "Gun Free Zone". If it was, no doubt the terrorist didn't see the sign.
How insane our nation has become is heart breaking. With the threats we're faced with daily, all Americans that have proven themselves to be law abiding citizens should be allowed to carry a gun in any arena. The gun isn't the problem, the nuts are.
Michael Burns
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To the elected officials, why are U.S. Marines trusted with weapons to defend 'freedom' in a foreign land not allowed to defend themselves with weapons here?
They are warriors that -obviously - you have made impotent due to your negligence at best.
You have blood on your hands for allowing, no mandating, that U.S. Marines be unarmed at home.
Dennis Rains
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Sign the petition.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/allow-military-service-members-are-properly-licensed-carry-concealed-weapons-and-handguns-military-installations
Dottie Brewer
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It was with some dismay that I heard that the day of the shooting that Fox News was trying to politicize the tragedy. One of their hacks starting going off on how our military had been disarmed on the bases. And of course the lemmings followed.
That little canard has been kicking around since the DC Naval Yard shootings of which the first victims were the armed guards.
You see, I had already been told by friends on the local force, one the victims was armed with a pistol and may have gotten some shots off.
Now the Washington Post confirms one of the fallen was armed, though it is not known at this time if he was able to wound the suspect or not.
That poses a problem though, it doesn't fit the NRA's political narrative. Here we had a serviceman trained and armed with at pistol, yet he wasn't able to prevail in a conflict with a untrained kid armed with an AK-74 and an AR-15. That tells me we need to have a serious and adult conversation about the legality of buying semi-automatics over the internet.
In fact, there was a recent study in the Journal of Preventive Medicine that suggests that having a gun doesn't help in a self defense situation at all.
Will the Gundamentalists meet us halfway on this? Or will they continue to hurt support for 2nd Amendment in the political middle?
R.W. Young