Marines and civilians in Marine Corps law enforcement roles will now be allowed to carry personal firearms while on base, the service has announced, the Washington Examiner reported.
In a memo, Lt. Gen. George Smith said the Marines were changing their policy following last month's shootings at Naval Air Station Pensacola and at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii that killed five people.
"These tragic events prompted Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) to accelerate existing efforts to develop concealed carry policies," the memo states.
About 3,200 individuals will be eligible to carry their personal firearms under the new policy, according to the Examiner. Previously, only Marine Corps law enforcement officials were allowed to carry service weapons while performing on-duty tasks.
Dakota Wood, a retired Marine Corps officer who served as the executive officer of the Corps' military police training unit, told the Examiner the new directive makes sense since military law enforcement members are already well-trained and well-versed in how and when to use a sidearm.
"So it would seem kind of silly, at least it has been to me, that you would have somebody fully trained and authorized by the service to carry a weapon when they are in uniform in an active law enforcement role, but then they are somehow irresponsible or they couldn't use that same tool in similar circumstances if they're not in a duty status," Wood said.
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