“Fort Stewart Shootings Recall Forgotten Trump Commitment,” this correspondent wrote last week in Firearms News. “President Trump promised to allow weapons carry (and later CCW) by military personnel on bases way back in 2015.”
The column noted those shootings were but the most recent, recounting prior incidents and summarizing current nonstandard policies regarding personal weapons “on DOD property by DOD personnel,” established in 2016 by Department of Defense Directive 5210.56, “Arming and the Use of Force.” It then recalled two separate pledges made by Donald Trump to “mandate that soldiers remain armed and on alert at our military bases.”
In 2015, candidate Trump promised that to AmmoLand Editor Fredy Riehl. He reiterated that commitment as a first-term president in 2018, as reported by Military.com in its “Trump Pushes to Allow Troops to Carry Personal Weapons on Bases” report. Yet for whatever reason, the only comment he’s made after the Fort Stewart shootings as a second-term president has been to promise that the shooter will be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Meanwhile, the situation and the risks for those we thank for their service, all of whom have been subject to more scrutiny than civilian background checks, remain. To remind him of his earlier pledge, the president was notified via both X.com and his own Truth Social platform. Still, one lone voice is easy to miss or ignore, so major “gun rights” groups were nudged to “call on their members to urge the president to act.”
If such efforts have been made, they evidently haven’t been publicized. But there’s no reason that should stop individual gun owners who don’t need to be led from contacting the president on their own initiative. That’s what WarOnGuns Correspondent “CDT” has done in his “Open Letter to President Trump on Military Base Victim Disarmament.”
“There have been seven other spree shootings with this same profile since 2009, all made possible by President Clinton’s ban on soldiers carrying arms inside military bases,” CDT reminded the president. “There is no place in the USA for victim disarmament policies, but *especially* not on military bases.”
“As Commander in Chief, this is a pen-and-a-phone moment for you,” CDT asserted. “No rogue federal judge has the power to stop you. Do it this week, and take one more easy Win.”
“Fort Stewart army base shooting raises questions about military gun policies, the Associated Press reports.
Yeah? Who’s doing the asking? Any “gun groups”?
I once more encourage them – and readers who believe keeping his earlier promises is something President Trump ought to and can do, to remind him of that.
You can reach him several ways, via comments to username on X.com or Truth Social, or, if you don’t use “social media” (which I urge you to reconsider), you can send him a message via The White House contact page, and, of course, if you don’t mind a bit of Secret Service scrutiny to make sure the envelope is safe, via good old-fashioned snail mail, or by calling to leave a message.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
While we can thank Slick Willy & Biden for the current law on the books banning active duty members from carrying on base unless in a security status, the possibility that it’ll be overturned by law is slimmer than none.
Also, when a veteran needs to go to the base/post pharmacy to get their medications, they are disarmed the entire trip to and from the base/post.
And, they are disarmed the entire time they are waiting to enter the gate…sitting ducks!
Don’t forget the same promise about schools, too! I recall both promises made, but not kept. Please, when reminding him about the military bases, also remind him about the schools.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/jan/08/donald-trump-end-gun-free-zones-schools-video
I’m going to need my asbestos underwear for saying this, but Trump did fulfill his 2015 promise. Under his administration, Department of Defense (the guys who run all the military branches) changed policy to allow base commanders to allow service members to carry privately owned weapons on military bases. To the best of my knowledge, not one base has done so for ordinary service members. The problem is that those bases are all run by someone wearing one or more stars (or in a few small bases, someone wearing an eagle, but who wants to be wearing stars soon). Flag… Read more »
The paragraph below is from the text referenced by “established in 2016 by Department of Defense Directive 5210.56, “Arming and the Use of Force.” “a. May grant permission to DoD personnel requesting to carry a privately owned firearm (concealed or open carry) on DoD property for a personal protection purpose not related to performance of an official duty or status. Permissions granted under this section do not apply to carrying a firearm within federal buildings unless the arming authority specifically determines, after consultation with servicing legal counsel and in accordance with applicable DoD policy, that an appropriate exception under Section 930(d) of… Read more »
Here is the issue. Trump doesn’t give a shit about ANY American’s gun rights. He is biggest and most offensive of the swamp creatures. He is the wrastling “good guy” and at the end of the night all the wrestlers get on the same bus, stay in the same hotel and drink together at the hotel bar. There is only one political party in America, the one ran by billionaire globalist and they want us disarmed which we will eventually be or we’ll be killed if we finally decide to stop giving up freedom. We aren’t going to win, and… Read more »
Ft Stewart shooting is being used as an example to why they shouldn’t allow them to be armed. They are still disarming everyone but on duty officers at the gate at every military installation to date. What little has been done has been left to commanders who definitely do not share the same views. Tulsi Gabbard was not pro 2A when she was in command nor a politician. It wasn’t until she lost all her official titles that she became that way. That’s how it works. When you have power you don’t The People to have power. When you lose… Read more »
I may bee naive but why do servicemen need to carry privately owned arms on base. Why aren’t they already armed?
The military hierarchy is always the last on board. This is the same mindset that wanted to keep mounted cavalry, and didn’t want repeating rifles because the troops would waste ammo. Grunts have to trust each other at the most basic level, with firearms and “every other terrible implement of the soldier”. We knew which members of my units were an untrustworthy POS, and did what we could to get rid of them. Other units? Other services? I have no idea. Changing the “may issue” clause might help, if “may” is left to the troops to decide- they “may carry”… Read more »
I’m the first to admit that I didn’t vote FOR Trump. I voted AGAINST Harris, Biden, and Clinton.