NRA fired up over military gun ban

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is taking aim at a controversial policy that prohibits soldiers from carrying personal firearms on military bases.

The military gun ban is coming under scrutiny following last week’s shooting at a military base in Chattanooga, Tenn. The gun lobby argues the soldiers would have been able to better defend themselves had they been armed.

“It’s outrageous that members of our Armed Services have lost their lives because the government has forced them to be disarmed in the workplace,” said Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s lobbying arm.

{mosads}The gun lobby is calling on the Defense Department to strike down a directive signed under the George H.W. Bush administration that prohibits most soldiers from carrying guns on base.

Soldiers should be “allowed to defend themselves on U.S. soil,” Cox added.

This comes as two congressmen from Tennessee proposed new legislation Monday that would repeal the military gun ban. Reps. Scott DesJarlais (R) and Steve Cohen (D) suggested their bill could mitigate future mass shootings on military bases.

Critics of the military gun ban argue the armed soldiers may have been able to stave off not only the recent Chattanooga attack but also previous attacks on military bases, such as the 2013 Washington Navy Yard shooting that killed 12 people, or the Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people in 2009.