Comments on: Chattanooga: We’ve Been Abandoned (Again)

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:24:11 +0000

I DO like the idea of allowing by rank: E-4 and above or something (and O-3 and above HA!). Just because there are so many dumb-ass boots who would wind up shooting each other after a night on the town. Not very 2nd Amendment, but a compromise policy that would arm more folks.

By: Shaft

Shaft — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 00:57:58 +0000

REST-IN-PEACE My Brothers and Sisters in Arms for Life.

By: Maya Bohnhoff (@kaath09)

Maya Bohnhoff (@kaath09) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 21:18:56 +0000

I’d say it’s both irrational and stupid. And lacks forethought. The fiction “Cris” is exactly the sort of person we want to be armed—authorized, well-trained and smart about the weapons they carry.

I do understand the concern behind the “no guns on post” idea—my dad dealt with some very volatile young men who, if guns had been present, likely would have shot each other and innocent bystanders in the grips of the passion du jour. You can put uniforms on people and put them in barracks together but you can’t make them cohere internally by simply telling them to do cohere.

Having said that, having no one carry weapons on base makes zero sense given the social climate in which we live. I hope the military revisits this idea and allows for a cadre of trained professionals to be armed in military environments.

By: Vendetta

Vendetta — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:31:08 +0000

But arming soldiers would promote a culture of violence. In the military of all places. Surely you know that, Cris? This is the 21st century. Surely we have progressed beyond such problematic attitudes of the past.

No, what this calls for is a dialogue about privilege. The privilege to bear arms. The powerful in this country have controlled this privilege for too long, namely the miliary, law enforcement, and those who benefit from their oppression of minorities. T….yeah, getting painful to carry on like that. Christ.

Your loyalty to this country is taken for granted by the brass and Washington. There hasn’t been a real uprising from the ranks since 1865 and none of them could really imagine it happening in this country. The men might get angry for a while but nothing bad is really going to happen, they reason. I don’t envision some kind of mass mutiny or anything, not unless things get unbelievably worse, but something bad is going to happen if they continue to do this.

By the way, do you find it funny, in a cynical sort of way, how quickly the whole crowd behind Bradley Manning deserted him once Bruce Jenner got crowned prom queen instead? I haven’t even heard his name in months, the old or the new one.

By: Stuart the Viking

Stuart the Viking — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 16:01:27 +0000

Having spent a few weekends on barracks duty once I reached NCO rank in the Marines, I do kind-of understand where some of these policies come from. There is a lot of stupidity that happens when young soldiers get bored (especially when alcohol is also introduced… and it always is regardless of barracks regs).

However, I don’t think that is enough reason to hang our soldiers out to dry. Weapons issues could easily be mitigated with training, discipline, and the creation of a safe gun handling culture within the military. Of course, this would necessitate treating soldiers like adults rather than dumb children, or worse yet, property (frankly, I’m not holding my breath there).

By: mark w

mark w — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 18:45:45 +0000

Chris, you nailed it again!

By: David Anderson

David Anderson — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 18:22:35 +0000

The same thing is true of civilian carry in public. The authorities simply do not trust anybody but themselves to be armed, regardless of experience or sterling record. I’m allowed to carry on the job, but I can’t on my own time. Why? Policy…

By: Shaun Miller

Shaun Miller — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 16:55:52 +0000

First let me say I agree, it’s silly not allowing soldiers to carry concealed or otherwise, on base, but haven’t these (outdated) rules, of disarming the troops, been around since there were (home country) army bases. And the original fear has always been about politicians losing the will of the people and having the army rise up against the gov’t? Or do I read too much military scifi? Today, it’s probably legal reasons to avoid lawsuits for on base shootings between soldiers.

With the global nature of wars/police actions/etc mixed in with the increasingly global spread of populations/cultures/religions, it was only a matter of time till something like Chattanooga occurred.