Washington, July 21, 2015 - Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) issued the following statement today after co-sponsoring the Enhancing Safety at Military Installations Act, which requires the Department of Defense to issue a directive allowing military personnel who have received firearms training to carry military-issued firearms on base and at recruiting centers: 

“The tragedies at Fort Hood in 2009, the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard in 2013 and just last week in Chattanooga demand policy changes that enable our Armed Forces to better defend themselves. Right now, at military facilities across the country, many of our brave men and women in uniform are defenseless against domestic terrorists. That must change.

“I am proud to join the entire Tennessee delegation in introducing bipartisan legislation that requires the Defense Department to implement a policy allowing military personnel to carry firearms on base and at recruiting centers. Every military spouse, child and family should have the knowledge that their loved one can, at the very least, defend themselves against domestic attacks.”

Click HERE to read the text of the Enhancing Safety at Military Installations Act.

BACKGROUND

In 1992, President George H.W. Bush issued a directive that prohibited most military personnel from carrying firearms. The directive can be found HERE.

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