We have now lost 34 uniformed service members and 54 other servicemen and women have been wounded in attacks on domestic military facilities on Barack Obama’s watch.

More photos of the door & servicemen in Chattanooga (click images to expand — images compliments of theBRIGADE):

Marines and sailors risked their lives for one another in the attack by trying to distract the gunman, helping people scale a fence for safety and returning fire at the attacker, according to law enforcement officials. Some of the five servicemen who were fatally wounded effectively sacrificed themselves during the assault, diverting the gunman from a larger group of potential victims. “This could have been a lot worse,” said one official, “It could have been a horrible, horrible massacre — so much worse.”

Reports indicate that Navy Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White, who is a surviving witness and the commanding officer at the support center, was armed with his own gun and engaged in an exchange of multiple gunshots with the killer, as did one of the Marines who was killed. Authorities stated that it’s “unclear why they were armed, as it is against Defense Department policy for anyone other than military police or law enforcement to carry weapons on federal property.” Unclear? Really?

Wussy US Secretary of Defense Ash (which is NOT the way I say it) Carter has “taken swift action to increase security after Thursday’s shootings in Tennessee, even closing some facilities and telling Marine recruiters not to wear uniforms in public.”

“The scared, the hiding, the Marines.” (No offense intended to REAL Marines who are victims of this profound failure of leadership.)

Feckless Army chief of staff Gen. Ray Odierno said last week he has no plans to arm recruiters or add security patrols to military recruitment centers, and that “I think we have to be careful about over-arming ourselves…” Pathetic. I say put Odierno at the front desk.

Another military official opined that they thought the mall was “safe,” and never expected an attack there. They didn’t expect an aerial attack on Pearl Harbor either. How’d that work out? 2,403 Americans killed and 1,178 others wounded. And they had armed “guards” (DoD Police) at Ft. Hood, who responded in minutes. 13 dead and 30 wounded there. Because the “armed” forces didn’t expect an attack and weren’t armed and ready.

Governors in at least seven states including MS, most of whom are currently running for office, announced over the last week that “their” military personnel will no longer be unarmed. Or at least certain “special” personnel will or MAY be armed on duty. (But my understanding is such an order only applies to personnel under state control, not federal employees or federal facilities, such as some recruiting offices. The state orders probably remedy some of this.) Meanwhile, nearly all adult CIVILIANS are legally allowed to be armed in most other places nationwide, usually by obtaining a CCW permit. And, they don’t have to obey stupid orders from idiotic military commanders.

I can only assume this also means that these seven governors were also too dense to figure this out before now, and that the 43 remaining governors are even more stupid.

MS Gov. Phil Bryant said that, “As commander in chief of the Mississippi National Guard and as governor of the state of Mississippi, I take the safety and security of our military personnel very seriously. These men and women put their lives on the line to protect us, and they deserve the opportunity to defend themselves from violent attacks.”

But Bryant was elected governor back in 2011, and was a legislator or lieutenant governor for 20 years before that. And in all that time, we are unaware of any previous effort he made to protect stateside military personnel, or of any effort to allow protection of folks at civilian state buildings and facilities either.

MS Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves also weighed in, supporting Gov. Bryant’s action. But Reeves runs the MS Senate and has also previously done nothing to implement these protections.

A bill has already passed the US House which apparently would “allow” commanders to “allow” service members to carry handguns at military facilities. (Apparently they misunderstand the term “armed forces.”)

John Farnam has a report from active duty personnel that certain officers and S/NCOs are “now” quietly carrying concealed on base, and off. No one is admitting it, of course, but some courageous commanders, at great personal risk, have taken it upon themselves to authorize the practice, albeit unofficially. That “great risk” may be less risk than not going armed.

The Army has warned its recruiters to treat the armed volunteer civilian guards gathering at military centers across the country in the wake of the Chattanooga massacre as a security threat. Well, when you disarm your own people I guess you think everyone is a threat.

What I said:

• http://www.thegunmag.com/no-guns-sign-in-chattanooga-ignites-firestorm-after-shooting/
• http://www.guns.com/2015/07/17/gun-free-zones-at-fault-in-chattanooga-shootings-says-pro-gun-researcher/