Oklahoma National Guard soldiers, airmen to carry weapons

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order will arm National Guard personnel at military facilities throughout the state.

Guard officials are identifying members who would be eligible to carry a government-issued sidearm following Gov. Mary Fallin’s executive order last week after the shooting deaths of four Marines and a sailor at a facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mohammad Abdulazeez, 24, has been accused in the slayings.

One of the main concerns, say officials, is that weapons could be discharged by mistake inside the centers.

According to Bentley, the results of the meeting tomorrow will not be made public. The first shooting took place at a military recruiting office at a strip mall.

The National Guard is in a unique position to undertake additional security measures as directed by each state’s governor, who are the commander in chief of the National Guard in each state. Alabama is more than a neighboring state.

“We heard the shots go off and we went into what’s called an active shooter drill”, said Sgt. “They were our brothers and sisters, too”. That’s if Governor Robert Bentley gets his way. Currently, eight states allow their guards to be armed. Right now, there is a lot that must be looked at before Guardsmen can be armed. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prohibits the federal government from using the military for domestic law enforcement, which would make arming troops inside the centers pointless as they would not be allowed to return fire. “I am also directing Adjutant General Donald Dunbar to evaluate longer-term plans to ensure the safety of our service members”. Releasing such information, would be a threat to their security if it was found by the wrong people.