Governors of six states have declared that soldiers can now carry firearms at National Guard facilities. Gov. Gary Herbert released a statement Saturday urging the Utah National Guard to explore additional security options for state military installations. These actions come in response to last Thursday’s shooting at a naval facility in Tennessee which left four Marines and one sailor dead.
In the creation of new security measures, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Fairbourn of the Utah National Guard, said that all options will be considered. He said that no definite plan has yet been reached.
“It’s always been the presumption that we’re safe when we’re here on the home front. Recent events, like the tragedy in Tennessee, have shown that there is a real threat locally and we are potentially targeted,” Fairbourn said. “As we evaluate ways to better protect our soldiers, all options are going to be on the table. We are going to look at all initiatives; maybe additional concealed-carry permit classes, additional security measures at the facilities. Again, all options are on the table but no determinations have been made today.”
Utah does allow service members to carry firearms on National Guard bases. As it is concealed-carry, Fairbourn said that it’s not known how many soldiers have taken the precaution.
“What was authorized by Gen. Burton was, for those that currently have or obtain a concealed carry permit that they could carry. We do not have an open-carry policy on state facilities,” he said. “The catch is at this point, we don’t have a feel for how many of our service members have taken that additional cost and time to become concealed-carry permit holders. I’m sure that’s one of the data points that’ll be collected.”
Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez targeted a military recruiting center and a Navy Operational Support Center in last week’s shooting. Fairbourn said that security even at smaller facilities will be evaluated.
“Each of the larger facilities does have security protocols. They’re gated; they use random access measures to keep any possible perpetrators on their toes and certainly convey that they’re not an easy target,” he said. “But this is broader than that because we’re not just talking about large installations. We’re talking about remote armories that will have as little as three to five people working in those facilities. We need to broaden the scope and better understand what we’re dealing with and how best to deal with that challenge.”
Soldiers have legally been able to carry firearms at Utah National Guard facilities since 2014.
