OK folks, here's the latest.
I received a letter from Senator Shelby dated February 3, 2011. The paragraph pertinent to our concerns is as follows:
"I have spoken with DoD and the Congressional Research Service about this matter and been informed that military regulations do not allow privately owned firearms to be carried on military installations. The power of the Secretary of Defense to set such rules and regulations was upheld by the Supreme Court in United States v. Eliason and reaffirmed in Computerware Inc. v. Knotts."
I took a look at these cases. The first, United States vs. Elaison, dates from the 1800's and seems to involve monetary compensation. The second, Computerware Inc. v. Knotts, dates from 1986 and concerns the selling of computers on base. Although I did not spend hours reading every word, I found no information relating in any way to personal firearms.
I would like to ask all of you to back me up on this and do some research to see if I missed the pertinent info (regarding firearms) in these cases.
Not sure how to respond (if at all) at this point. I do not feel as though my questions have been answered, which were:
1. WHY is there a current ban on carrying concealed handguns on base? And again, respectfully, an answer along the lines of "because it's policy" is not an answer.
2. WHO has the authority to allow personnel to carry concealed handguns on base? I've seen many regulations and memoranda, but the answer is not entirely clear.
Looks like the ball is in our court. I'm just not sure which play to call.
Any help?
I received a letter from Senator Shelby dated February 3, 2011. The paragraph pertinent to our concerns is as follows:
"I have spoken with DoD and the Congressional Research Service about this matter and been informed that military regulations do not allow privately owned firearms to be carried on military installations. The power of the Secretary of Defense to set such rules and regulations was upheld by the Supreme Court in United States v. Eliason and reaffirmed in Computerware Inc. v. Knotts."
I took a look at these cases. The first, United States vs. Elaison, dates from the 1800's and seems to involve monetary compensation. The second, Computerware Inc. v. Knotts, dates from 1986 and concerns the selling of computers on base. Although I did not spend hours reading every word, I found no information relating in any way to personal firearms.
I would like to ask all of you to back me up on this and do some research to see if I missed the pertinent info (regarding firearms) in these cases.
Not sure how to respond (if at all) at this point. I do not feel as though my questions have been answered, which were:
1. WHY is there a current ban on carrying concealed handguns on base? And again, respectfully, an answer along the lines of "because it's policy" is not an answer.
2. WHO has the authority to allow personnel to carry concealed handguns on base? I've seen many regulations and memoranda, but the answer is not entirely clear.
Looks like the ball is in our court. I'm just not sure which play to call.
Any help?