Question for soldiers: why doesn't the .mil let you carry a personal pistol?

[docsherm]

That MF'er still owes me $45 for ribbon placement at PX

He stole some TA-50 from me to clear CIF when he got kicked out of the Army.

[docsherm]

Not everybody in the military is a "Gun Guy" or has both feet on the trail, or is even a "Good Person."

They call Fort Hood, "The HOOD" for a reason....... Lots of crime without allowing firearms in the barracks.

[Grand58742]

He stole some TA-50 from me to clear CIF when he got kicked out of the Army.

I used to call that person "Airman They" or "Sergeant They."

As in:

"They told me it was okay to do this."

"They said I didn't need to turn my stuff in."

"They said we were getting forward deployed for R&R cruise ship security in the Caribbean."

I really wanted to kick They's ass several times in my career.

[Averageman]

They call Fort Hood, "The HOOD" for a reason....... Lots of crime without allowing firearms in the barracks.

One of my last acts before going to a training unit to retire; I've got an E-6 who's way out of control.
He flipped a tank, nearly killing one of the crewman. I said right there, that guy aint right. His wife leaves him, he takes up with a deployed Soldiers wife. They go on a bender and he shoots here three times with a 30-30 and kills her.

[docsherm]

One of my last acts before going to a training unit to retire; I've got an E-6 who's way out of control.
He flipped a tank, nearly killing one of the crewman. I said right there, that guy aint right. His wife leaves him, he takes up with a deployed Soldiers wife. They go on a bender and he shoots here three times with a 30-30 and kills her.

Sounds like the Norm......

[CRAMBONE]

In WW2 my Dad carried a pistol he brought with him when he was drafted. Carried it all the way to England and served in the Army Air Corps.

In Vietnam you could carry your own as well. I know a guy who wasn't old enough to buy one, so his parents procured a Colt Gold Cup .45 and he carried that in country. I know another guy who was a LERP. Carried a PPK in his pocket. It came in handy one evening when the fight started up close.


Now soldiers returning from the middle east tell me that such is strictly forbidden.


Why is that?

They weren’t supposed to even back then. And I have known people that have but the legal risks aren’t worth it.

[CRAMBONE]

I used to call that person "Airman They" or "Sergeant They."

As in:

"They told me it was okay to do this."

"They said I didn't need to turn my stuff in."

"They said we were getting forward deployed for R&R cruise ship security in the Caribbean."

I really wanted to kick They's ass several times in my career.

I hate “they”. I always ask who “they” is.

[PracticalRifleman]

I think handguns are issued much more widely in the GWOT era than previous conflicts.

I think later in GWOT that may be true, but early on? I dunno. I know many guys who never touched a sidearm...dates of service from 2002 all the way to 2012. My best friend and business partner was given a SAM-R with a Leupold 2.5-8x and that was it for his two tours. He said the first time he handled a sidearm was training at MARSOC.


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[Averageman]

I was a maintenance contractor, we were not to have an issued weapon.
Oddly enough on my recovery missions there was always an extra.

[jsbhike]

I think handguns are issued much more widely in the GWOT era than previous conflicts.

I have read a few claims of WWI planning to have almost every soldier issued a sidearm. Lots of Model 1911 production along with supplemental S&W/Colt 1917 production during the relatively short US involvement in the war.