Lt. Col. Allen West Demands Obama
Issue Exec. Order That Can Prevent
Mass Shootings Like Chattanooga
Following the murder of four unarmed Marines in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Thursday, Lt. Col. Allen West called on President Obama to immediately issue an executive order ending gun-free zones at U.S. military sites.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Friday, West was adamant:
“The battlefield is here. And it’s just a simple act of leadership, a change in policy to enable [military personnel] to be able to defend themselves.”“He is the commander-in-chief, and how many more of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines have to lose their lives here in the United States of America, the place where they’re supposed to be able to have respite away from a combat zone, before he takes action?”
He cited past shootings at military facilities, including the 2009 Fort Hood massacre, during which Army Maj. Nidal Hasan shot and killed 13 unarmed people and wounded 32 others.
The gun-free zone policy dates back to a 1992 Defense (DoD) Directive – which was reissued in 2011. It says, in part:
“The authorization to carry firearms shall be issued only to qualified personnel when there is a reasonable expectation that life or DoD assets will be jeopardized if firearms are not carried.”
Clearly, the time to realize the “reasonable expectation” that members of our military are now in jeopardy has arrived, and provide our brave men and women with the capability to defend themselves.
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