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Arizona National Guard to be armed with handguns
ChrisInTempe
Member Posts: 15,562 ✭
http://azgovernor.gov/news/governor-doug-ducey-authorizes-adjutant-general-arm-arizona-national-guard
Governor Doug Ducey Authorizes Adjutant General to Arm Arizona National Guard
July 22, 2015
Order Will Enhance The Safety And Security Of National Guard Personnel In Arizona
PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey today issued an executive order directing the Adjutant General to take actions to enhance and strengthen the safety and security of Arizona National Guard personnel.
The governor's order, a response to the recent attacks on military recruitment and readiness centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, authorizes Major General Michael McGuire to:
A. Identify and arm of all appropriately-trained National Guard personnel who he determines reasonably necessary, based upon their duty positions, responsibilities, or locations, to protect themselves and other persons from the threat of deadly physical force;
B. Institute a policy and training requirements that permit Guardsmen to carry personally-owned handguns while on duty at a secured facility or military instillation, in lieu of a government-issued handgun, as specified by the Adjutant General. This policy should allow Guard personnel to carry these handguns on unsecured facilities while on duty if a government-issued handgun is not reasonably accessible.
C. Consult with the Director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety to review the security measures and protocols in place at Arizona National Guard facilities, including without limitation recruiting offices, and make any recommendations necessary to further protect Soldiers, Airmen, and the public against attacks on military personnel.
"What happened in Chattanooga was shocking and saddening, and it took the lives of five American servicemen," said Governor Ducey. "With the number of tragic shootings that have occurred on military installations in recent years, it's imperative that our soldiers and airmen - people who put their lives on the line every day to protect our state and nation - have at least the same level of self-defense as the citizens they're fighting for. We're committed to doing whatever is reasonably necessary to ensure the safety and security of these men and women, and of all Arizonans."
"The safety and security of our Soldiers, Airmen and civilian employees is our highest priority," said Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, the Adjutant General, Arizona National Guard. "We are developing a plan that fulfills Governor Ducey's executive order and best protects our service members and our fellow Arizonans."
At least eight other governors have issued a similar order, with several others ramping up efforts to increase the safety and security of military personnel in their states.
The complete executive order can be viewed, here.
http://azgovernor.gov/sites/default/files/eo_2015_07.pdf
Governor Doug Ducey Authorizes Adjutant General to Arm Arizona National Guard
July 22, 2015
Order Will Enhance The Safety And Security Of National Guard Personnel In Arizona
PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey today issued an executive order directing the Adjutant General to take actions to enhance and strengthen the safety and security of Arizona National Guard personnel.
The governor's order, a response to the recent attacks on military recruitment and readiness centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, authorizes Major General Michael McGuire to:
A. Identify and arm of all appropriately-trained National Guard personnel who he determines reasonably necessary, based upon their duty positions, responsibilities, or locations, to protect themselves and other persons from the threat of deadly physical force;
B. Institute a policy and training requirements that permit Guardsmen to carry personally-owned handguns while on duty at a secured facility or military instillation, in lieu of a government-issued handgun, as specified by the Adjutant General. This policy should allow Guard personnel to carry these handguns on unsecured facilities while on duty if a government-issued handgun is not reasonably accessible.
C. Consult with the Director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety to review the security measures and protocols in place at Arizona National Guard facilities, including without limitation recruiting offices, and make any recommendations necessary to further protect Soldiers, Airmen, and the public against attacks on military personnel.
"What happened in Chattanooga was shocking and saddening, and it took the lives of five American servicemen," said Governor Ducey. "With the number of tragic shootings that have occurred on military installations in recent years, it's imperative that our soldiers and airmen - people who put their lives on the line every day to protect our state and nation - have at least the same level of self-defense as the citizens they're fighting for. We're committed to doing whatever is reasonably necessary to ensure the safety and security of these men and women, and of all Arizonans."
"The safety and security of our Soldiers, Airmen and civilian employees is our highest priority," said Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, the Adjutant General, Arizona National Guard. "We are developing a plan that fulfills Governor Ducey's executive order and best protects our service members and our fellow Arizonans."
At least eight other governors have issued a similar order, with several others ramping up efforts to increase the safety and security of military personnel in their states.
The complete executive order can be viewed, here.
http://azgovernor.gov/sites/default/files/eo_2015_07.pdf
Comments
Ducey calls for the arming of National Guard members
By: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services July 22, 2015 , 4:33 pm
Fearing a repeat of what happened in Chattanooga, Tenn., Gov. Doug Ducey on July 22 directed that more than 200 members of the Arizona National Guard - and potentially thousands - be armed while on duty.
The executive order spells out that Guard members working outside secure facilities like military bases must be issued sidearms to protect themselves. Gubernatorial adviser J.P. Twist said that is designed to address what happened last week when five service members were killed at the Tennessee operational support center.
But the governor's order goes farther. It actually permits Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, the top military officer of the Guard, to allow individual Guard members to bring their own personal hand guns onto secure military facilities.
Twist said that is because history shows that while radicals may seek out soft" targets like recruiting centers, they have acted out elsewhere. He specifically pointed a 2009 incident at Fort Hood that left 13 dead and injured more than 30 others; another shooting at the Texas fort last year resulted in the deaths of five people, including the gunman.
Press aide Daniel Scarpinato said Ducey's action, similar to what has been done by several other governors, is justified.
"Given the incidents we've seen, most recently in Chattanooga, the governor believes we need to make the safety and security of our Guard personnel a huge priority," he said.
"We need to assure them that they're safe and make sure they have the tools to remain safe," Scarpinato continued. "And so this policy, which was developed in close consultation with the National Guard, will allow them to protect themselves and not be vulnerable."
The main focus, said Twist, will be those working away from secure places such as the Papago Reservation in Phoenix, the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson and Camp Navajo west of Flagstaff. All of those have guards at the gates and armed security personnel.
But that still leaves more than a dozen recruiting stations and several armories.
Soldiers and airmen assigned to those facilities will be issued sidearms, with Twist stressing there will be no rifles or automatic weapons. Twist said he thinks that involves about 225 individuals.
Lt. Col. Gabe Johnson declined to spell out specific numbers for security reasons, saying only that "hundreds" of Guard members fall into that category.
The potentially larger group includes soldiers and airmen who work on the military reservations.
Johnson said until now the Arizona Guard has operated under Department of Defense policies which presume that individuals entering such facilities need not carry weapons because there already are armed security officers. In fact, he said, the policy has prohibited people from bringing their own personal weapons onto military sites.
The change, said Johnson, should bring the military reservations into closer alignment with existing state gun laws.
"In Arizona, other residents can take advantage of carrying a weapon for self-defense," he said. That includes the right of any adult to carry a gun openly or even concealed.
"So why would we differentiate from that?" Johnson asked. But he acknowledged that these are details "we have to work out."
One of those details, he said, is going to be a requirement for special training. Johnson said that would include both self-defense and dealing with active shooter situations.
Johnson said it is impossible to tell how many Guard members might be able to bring their own firearms to their assignments.
He said the Arizona National Guard has about 5,100 soldiers and 2,600 airmen. But Johnson said not all of them may have their own weapons. And even if they do, he said, they might not be interested in carrying them.
Johnson also noted the Guard has about 500 civilian employees. He said it is possible the right to be armed while on military reservations will be extended to them, too.