Are soldiers allowed to carry firearms in the general population?
December 7th, 2009 by eranio
just as the title says, are soldiers of any US military branch permitted to carry firearms in public? i remember, many years ago, a soldier came to my school with this huge rifle straped to his shoulder. whats the info on that?
why im wondering is, if i enlist, would i be allowed to carry a magnum or something? i dont like the idea of a soldier being as helpless as civillians if say a robbery occured.
Posted in military firearms
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
As a current school Principal and a Veteran, I can tell you what you saw was either a dummy rifle (has a welded shut bolt) or a rubber rifle (used in amphibious training). While members of the military are governed by the UCMJ, it is not common for them to carry military weapons off base, especially for something like a recruiting demo. There are however times when military personnel are authorized to carry issued weapons if necessary for protection of government property etc (unlikely that was the case).
If you enlisted you would only be granted the same rights as a civilian to carry a firearm, this would vary from state to state. However, it is federal law that no firearms will be carried by unauthorized people onto a public educational facility.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
They can purchase civilian guns.
And if they came to your school in uniform.. it was probably OK’d.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Without getting into exceptions, generally a soldier does not leave post with a weapon. One must check the rifles in and out of armory.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
That sounds like a recuiting ploy, and I guaran-damn-tee you there was no ammo anywhere near him.
Nobody can take their gov’t issued weapons off base. Those of us who carry off duty use the ones we buy out in town.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
I don’t believe they are allowed to carry firearms except when they are on duty.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Soldiers are allowed to carry in public when they’re acting in their official capacity as soldiers. So, depending on what the soldier was at your school for and why, he may well have been acting legally. However, a member of the armed forces cannot go armed unless they are acting in their official capacity, or unless they have a permit to do so like everyone else.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
You will have to check on the state and local laws. Other than that it’s been said the firearms are permitted on school property as long as it’s for educational purposes. Once off the base you are under local and state laws.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
They can carry their weapons on official events like parades, funerals, public relations events such as a school visit. If it is not being used for an authorized purpose, (training, deployment, etc) it is locked up in an arms room. As far as a personal weapon, the soldier is a citizen like anyone else and is subject to the laws of the state they are in. However, military commanders can impose restrictions above civilian law.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Are you 10? "would i be allowed to carry a magnum or something?" Civilians aren’t helpless unless they live in an area that forces them to be by law, and you as a soldier would have the same rights as another citizen to protect yourself. In states that allow open carry, you are allowed to open carry in firearms regardless of military experience. If you have a concealed carry permit, you can carry in areas not prohibited by law as well. If a soldier was carrying a rifle in a school, it was in an official capacity or it was not in a highschool or below. You didn’t mention if it was a college or a middle school. Federal laws are different between the two levels of education.
PS when you hit puberty you should carry a magnum everywhere, well maybe just a trojan.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
There’s rules and regulations about it.
You can’t just walk around with your issue weapon.
You can own a private weapon if you have a license. But there’s rules about where you can store it: if you live on post or in the barracks, you have to store it in your unit armory, usually. Off post you go by local laws.