How should we formally arm our troops?

SGT (Join to see)
A few of the veteran FB pages I'm in have been discussing this. A few have suggested (and a few have implemented) a group of legally armed veterans standing guard at recruiting stations, observing applicable state laws.

I will not be easy, but it should be done.

I have some experience with planning for these types of situations (active shooters). I know that there is NO end-all, do-all solution. However, we need to evaluate a few things:

1. Force Protection (where appropriate). I think there's a lot to be said about Force Protection. I know it's not a simple solution, nor will it work in every situation, but to dismiss it without evaluation is lunacy.
2. Arm Service Members. The idea that men and women with combat experience aren't allowed to carry a sidearm is ludicrous. Would it be logistically horrendous to develop / institute an "open carry" type certification for service members?
3. Harden military targets. I despise the idea of surrendering more liberty for (more?) security. However, I can tell you - from years of experience in the commercial nuclear industry - that the use of metal detectors AND chem-sniffers WILL stop nearly ALL contraband-intrusion events. Yes, I know that's not logistically possible, but is there something in between that can increase protection without such drastic measures?

And remember, THIS bottle's been uncorked. Designing a security system to look for a shoe bomber or an underwear bomber is stupid.

Lastly - get rid of the dumb-ass "No Beretta M-9 / 92FS" signs.

I don't think arming everybody is the answer. We've got enough intra-service murders as it is. Weapons are restricted on Military bases for solid reasons. If we arm do we issue sidearms? Will killers then simply switch to rifles with scopes? Maybe bombs? In the 1970s domestic terrorists (Weather underground, SLA, Symbionese Liberation Army, George Jackson brigade and others) were wrecking havoc, blowing up recruiting booths, ROTC offices and the like. We didn't over react then like we are now. Our needs might be better served by identifying the source of the disaffection and working to treat it. This last killer's life was imploding. He'd lost his job, gotten a DUI arrest, was doing drugs. He was like Michael Douglas' character in "Falling down." It's tempting to over react, but that is only addressing "symptoms" and not the disease. Don't forget, a few weeks earlier in Tennessee a recruiter Guardsman got fired and he went psycho in the office. Didn't hear any call for arming recruiters then. We need to take a deep breathe and think hard.

Integrate a Quarter deck at all Navy and Marine Recruiting Stations and stand watch the same way it's done on a ship...side arm and shotgun. I'm sure we can afford to add a few Sailors and Marines to stand this duty all around the US. Let's make it happen quickly. We should not feel threatened on our own soil!!

If recruiters were to be armed it may have to be so in a non-threatening manner. Having a weapon visibly strapped to the leg, or an M4 slung on the back doesn't seem like a good idea for marketing purposes.....even if the military is about defending the country.

Requiring concealed carry might not seem like a bad idea though, I know some recruiters operate outside of uniform anyway.

Give them the weapons that they are used to. If the attackers have AK's give them M-4"

Our military members should at the very least be allowed to own and carry a sidearm. It is ridiculous that American citizens can arm themselves, but our military personnel cannot.

You know, the US has a history of such stupidity, and not just on our own soil. Maybe someone who was there will refute this, really, I hope I saw it wrong and that was just for the landing, but I remember watching the Marines go ashore in 1983 Beirut, before the bombing which killed 241 US personnel, and noticing that NONE of their weapons had mags or assault packs on them, on the BBC news, anyway. By all means, let's don't offend anyone...someone please tell me, is it NORMAL for Marines to land on a hostile beach with unloaded weapons? Or were we depending on locals, who are all wonderful people and want us there?

If I were a recruiter, and wasn't armed before, I would be now and no one would see it. Worst case if one gets caught with an unauthorized weapon--bad for career. Worst case if one doesn't carry--death, dismemberment, dreck.

That's too easy, just look at what programs we have in place for another high-risk activity: motorcycles. Since the military will never sign off on just letting us carry, all we have to do is create a safety course. Once completed, give us a little laminated card that says we have completed the course and have been trained, and can carry our personal firearm on post. It's practically the same idea as what we do with motorcycles.