From the “no brainer” files, Republican senators are pursing legislation that would allow military officers to be armed when working at recruitment stations, two of which were the targets of terrorist attacks last month in Tennessee.
The Securing Military Personnel Response Firearm Initiative, or SEMPER FI Act, would overturn the post Cold War directive that has turned these recruitment centers into gun-free zones, making them targets of Islamist terrorists.
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner is a leading cosponsor of the legislation. He says the gun ban has effectively disarmed the very people who are highly trained to respond in these attacks.
“It’s time for the nonsensical prohibition on officers carrying sidearms at recruitment centers to come to an end,” Gardner said. “The right to keep and bear arms is cherished and enjoyed by millions of Americans, and depriving our military officers of that same right is wrong and counterproductive.”
It’s too early to tell whether the measure has enough support to pass the Senate, although it would certainly glide through the GOP-controlled House.
Considering that President Obama is reluctant to even declare these attacks on military bases and recruiting centers as terrorist acts, we wouldn’t be surprised if he vetoed any measure that armed our military here at home.