Posted on Apr 3, 2014
LTC Yinon Weiss
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Given the recent active shooter tragedy that happened at Fort Hood, how do you believe the military should best respond to help prevent future events from happening, and also casualties should they happen?
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SFC Instructor/Writer
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<p>Major Weiss,</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As a concealed carry holder i am most vulnerable on a Military installation. The military requires us to carry weapons with rounds while deployed, but when we get stateside they want to take that away from Soldiers. Why is this? The trust us overseas, but do not trust us on American soil? I do not think that that is right. </p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;If there was a concealed weapons carrier on Ft Hood, back in 2009, maybe there would have been less Soldiers that were killed and wounded. Yesterday if there was a concealed weapons carrier that was in the area, there might have been less Soldiers that were killed and wounded. We would never know because we do not have that Second Ammendment right on Military installations. </p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If i were on Ft Hood and I was able to draw my weapon, i would have observed the situation, and then made my decision on who was the next one that i am taking out. As responsible gun owners, we train, train, train, train. I think that if the Military was able to carry on Military installations, then there would be less active shooters on the installations. If you agree or not, i do not care, it is my opinion and my 2nd Amendment Right to keep and bear Arms. However i encourage your comments.</p>
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SFC Instructor/Writer
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First of all SSG Flynn,

No one is going to tell me where i can store MY POW. They didnt pay for them so they are not going to store them. Second of all, why do we have safety stand down? Does that prevent a Soldier from doing something stupid? NO it does not. It is just another way to mitigate risks. So by your logical thinking, if  a person owns a car, they should store it at the Post facility and should have to sign it out anytime they want to use it? Oh and by the way owning a weapon is a right, not a priviledge, like driving is.
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Maj Walter Kilar
Maj Walter Kilar
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Again this conversation is going to the extremes. There are plenty of workplaces in America where employees are legally carrying concealed weapons into the office, warehouse, or whatever--and there is no epidemic of workplace shootings. One would hope that an American Soldier, Sailor, Marine or (maybe) Airman would be better trained and in better mental state than most citizens to legally bring a concealed weapon to work. If we are not better equipped to bring concealed weapons on a military installation, then we have more serious problems. 


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CPT S2 X Intelligence
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This is a much more difficult question than carrying a weapon.  It is indeed true people are capable of doing the greatest harm where others are defenseless.  Yet, we still gather in church and go to the PX. 
I'm not a gun-nut, nor am I a peace-at-any-price wimp. I am a believer in training.  And I believe in our servicemembers.

We are trained to go out an break things and kill people - if you were looking at it from a video game point of view.  The biggest problem is that we are all different in our ability to cope with stress.  What may be traumatic to one person may be like water off a duck's back to another. I'll wager good money that most of my Air Force brethren who've served with Marines in the combat zone have found them to be callous, if not down right mean when it comes to human life. The degrees of meaness and such vary - and as a MCRD survivor I truly believe it's because of training. 

Marines are taught to go into combat - the same as the Army. Only, our leaders forget we have to come home.  They forget about it during indoctrination because it probably doesn't work to create the kind of people needed to win wars.  I'm not a psychologist either - however, I am positive there is a culture difference between the military and the rest of the American population - otherwise, why would we call them civilians?

Most of you are very well aware of the resources available for PTSD, suicide prevention, sexual assaults, EEO complaints - we even have Yellow Ribbon events to welcome troops home.

Yet again - we are all different. 

I needed to be verbally abused by one of my best friends and mentors before I could admit to "having an issue" with PTSD.  I was certainly not in combat - according to the Army or the Marine Corps.  Yet, I was there too.  And like many of us, I worked until the job was done and then went and worked some more because the job was never done.

The point is that coming back was traumatic for those who came before us - and they were tough men and women (they came back too).  They did their share of bad things too - we just didn't have the 24 hour news cycle like we do now.  Coming home now is just as traumatic - we cannot go jumping into a war expecting bodybags and not expecting our men and women back who bloodied the other side far more than they bloodied us. 

A former manager of mine started crying during a meeting with me.  She said she was so upset by the video of all the children who had died in the Syrian chemical attacks.  In virtually the same breath she said she wished WE would go over there and do SOMETHING about it.

I looked at her and said, "So, you'd rather see my son dead?  He's 21 and wanting to follow in my footsteps.  And what about me?  I'm still in the National Guard."

Needless to say, she's not my manager anymore.

My friends - guns are not the problem - train me to carry a gun out in the open - give me a nice band to put on my hat or wear like a PT belt - And also make sure I have the other tools I need to solve my internal problems without turning to the weapon at my side.

Just my two cents.  

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SSG Aircraft Mechanic
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Overseas they can call it hostile fire and sweep it under the rug.
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1SG Shane Hansen
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I also think that the mental screening process prior to entry into the military needs to be examined for improvements.
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SGT First Officer
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Simple...allow military personnel to carry openly or concealed on base. Issue will stop overnight.
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GySgt (Other / Not listed)
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Not stop over night, i don't understand why people think arming people will stop the killing.  Our enemies don't stop killing because everybody is armed.  It's absolutely stupid to think that because you are armed that I who is confident in my ability to kill would be persuaded not to because you carry a weapon, no, I can and will kill you.  Is this not the mentality we all have when we engage our enemies?
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SFC Behavioral Health Specialist
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1SG Hansen, I would even go one further and say that there should be a screening every couple of years as mind states and life situations may change.

 

SSgt Fair, it is somewhat deterrance, but moreso the ability of one to protect themselves.

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SGT Power Generation Equipment Repairer
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1SG I agree that civilians trying to become soldiers get better screened or get put threw a stress test. There are a lot of people that start falling out during and after basic at thier new units and even more before deployments and during it. And I believe it's a mental thing that can be found and help weed these people out before they enter service. But additional screening and follow ups need to be done for soldiers that have been threw combat.
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GySgt (Other / Not listed)
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<div>For you Soldiers, Sailors, and Airman, does your organization practice something similar to this?<br></div><div><br></div>A lot of you are talking about arming your personnel. &nbsp;This is what the Marine Corps does, at Camp Pendleton, CA for example there are all these small Camps that are controlled by units. &nbsp;Each unit provides bodies for camp guard which are armed personnel who patrol the the unit's camp and provide security to the armory and classified stuff. &nbsp;On top of that, each unit on the Camp has an Officer on Duty and an assistant. &nbsp;Typically these are SNCO's and Officers and they are always armed. &nbsp;Any type of active shooting incident that would occur anywhere on a Marine Corps installation will be quickly stopped because we not only have Military Police and it's SWAT, but we have Camp Guard, and we have SNCO's and Officers on duty who are armed 24/7. &nbsp; &nbsp;
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GySgt (Other / Not listed)
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Those are specified targets the Marine had for a specific reason, not a careless shooting spree killing those who they didnt know.  There are a lot of service members killing specific people, that's a separate topic here.
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CPT All Source Intelligence
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But in truth, carrying weapons won't mitigate targeted shootings, and targeted shootings are the vast majority of non-accidental shootings.  Knowing that the people you want to shoot are armed just means you have to use different tactics, not that it will not happen.
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Maj Walter Kilar
Maj Walter Kilar
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I would relate defense to first aid. In combat, we teach our military members that the first line of defense in medical care lies within each and every military member. Sure, we have professional medics and doctors, but before the pros arrive it is up to us to take care of ourselves if wounded in combat, and to take care of our battle buddies. When it comes to defense in an active shooter situation on a military base, we are stripped of our responsibility, authorization, and tools required to defend ourselves and our neighbors. I am supposed to wait on base security to come and rescue me from an active shooter, knowing that the security detachment on base is undermanned, over-tasked, under-budget, and losing people every day to the RIF and back-filling people leaving due to the RIF? 


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GySgt (Other / Not listed)
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And that is why I believe more focus on caring for our personnel Ma'am than trying to arm more bodies. However having more personnel knowingly armed could decrease the possibilities of mass shooting and maybe targeted shooting but will never eliminate it.  
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