Senate

GOP senator to introduce bill to arm troops in US

by Jordain Carney - 07/20/15 2:39 PM ET

Chattanooga, shooting, navy — Michael Ball / Twitter

In the wake of a fatal attack on two Tennessee military facilities, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said Monday that he will introduce legislation that would allow troops to carry guns in a military facility.

The Kansas Republican suggested that a current ban prohibiting service members from carrying firearms violated the Constitution, saying that “our men and women in uniform are being prevented from exercising this constitutional right.”

{mosads}”Just because a member of our Armed Forces is not deployed to an active war zone does not mean they are safe from those who wish to do harm,” he added. “These brave individuals must be empowered to defend themselves and others from violence and acts of domestic terrorism.”

His comments come after four people were killed in shootings at two separate military facilities last Thursday in Chattanooga, Tenn. A fifth victim died over the weekend.

Moran stopped short of suggesting that allowing troops to carry guns could have prevented last week’s shooting, but did say that “if the members of our Armed Forces at the Chattanooga military recruitment centers had been allowed to exercise their Second Amendment Rights, the outcome of the attacks could have been very different.”

“What happened in Chattanooga can never happen again,” he added.

Moran’s proposal would allow active-duty troops, including military recruiters, to carry weapons to defend themselves.

He isn’t the only lawmaker expected to introduce legislation in the wake of last week’s shooting.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is expected offer a proposal that would get rid of regulatory hurdles prohibiting troops from carrying firearms on military installations.

Tags Jerry Moran Ron Johnson