He hoped the executive order would prevent events like what happened in Chattanooga, Fort Hood in 2009 and the Washington Navy Yard in 2013 from repeating.
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Brian Robinson, spokesman for Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, said the governor would not order National Guardsmen to arm themselves, “because current state law allows members of the Guard to arm themselves if they choose to”.
“Susanne and I send our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in last week’s tragic shooting in Tennessee“, Ricketts said.
So far, there is no word from Ohio Governor John Kasich on any changes happening locally.
Flags stand in a make-shift memorial as people gather at the scene of a military recruiting office in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Monday, July 20, 2015, four days after it was targeted in a pair of shootings that left five people dead.
Security at military facilities has been under scrutiny since Thursday when 24-year-old Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez allegedly opened fire first at a military recruitment center and later at a Naval Reserve. Northern Command chief Adm. Bill Gortney in May had already ordered a boost in security at military bases nationwide to the highest level since the 9/11 attacks.
“It is unfortunate our servicemen and women must take these precautions on American soil”, Reeves said in a statement about arming Guard facilities.
Maj. Gen. Livingston oversees the state’s 11,000-member Military Department, which includes the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. Currently, eight states allow their guards to be armed.
“The expanded measures are to increase vigilance and sustain security of military personnel and facilities”, Miller says. States do have a voice over weapons in its national guard facilities.
“We must insure those who defend our freedom must have the ability to defend themselves”, Pence said in a press conference on Sunday. Rick Nelson, who qualified as a Navy rifle sharpshooter and later held national security posts under former President George W. Bush, .
The order also directs the Mississippi National Guard to examine existing security policies and procedures at military facilities and identify any opportunities to enhance security.
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“I’m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, as are most of my brothers and sisters in the military”, Stimson said.
