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

[Grand58742]

The sad thing is there were some really cool old 1911s, SMLEs, and other guns that turned up in Iraq, and to some extent A-Stan, that would have been legal in the US but there was no way to import them. I did once handle and shoot a Makarov that was rumored to have been snuck back from OIF, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if it was a pawn shop gun the guy just said he smuggled back for cool guy points. I love cool guns but I know I certainly wouldn’t take the risk.

Funny thing was, the 1911s we found still had the USG markings (some had the flaming bomb ordnance symbols) and weren't marked as Iraqi property.

If I had been a smart type, I'd have called it part of my unit TOE and brought it back that way.

[GTF425]

Does every unit have their shit go through customs? I don't recall that we did. Maybe we did and I don't remember or that it happened outside of my three-foot world.

For what it's worth; for all of my deployments to Afghanistan (most recent being 2014), we had to clear customs in Kuwait on the way out of theater. Both for R&R as well as redeployment.

[CRAMBONE]

I remember seeing some footage from early in with guys with cheap NC Star scopes on their rifles. It amazed me.


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Yeah there was some interesting setups for awhile. Gotta remember most mil members aren’t “gun people”.

[CRAMBONE]

I know a guy who decided to try and smuggle an Iraqi Army M9. It was pretty pimped out, I see the attraction, but it ended his career right then and there.

During our RIP from Iraq, we had a battalion armorer that got busted trying to ship two Glock 19s home. He took out the padding in a pelican, put in the pistols and was promptly caught when the shipment was scanned. I mean come on. You’re gonna get drummed out at the least. Make it worth your while. Like an RPG-7 and live rockets.

[CRAMBONE]

That's awesome. "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'."

Does every unit have their shit go through customs? I don't recall that we did. Maybe we did and I don't remember or that it happened outside of my three-foot world.

Not every unit. The super cool kids do their own thing.

[chuckman]

Not every unit. The super cool kids do their own thing.

Well, it was a cool-guy unit, but not like our own C17 a la NSW cool-guy unit.

[Arik]

Because it’s that pistol or an extra couple of M4 mags, or grenades, or some belt for the 240, stuff you can actually use to take the fight to the enemy.

Because a handgun takes up that much space? My Beretta is roughly about the size of a laptop!

Seriously...if an extra. 2lbs is what prevents you from moving you have issues

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[murphy j]

You're be shocked at how many AKs, pistols, boxes of Iraqi bayonets and other such equipment I pulled out of returning unit's equipment when I did customs pre-clearance in 04-05 for OIF/OEF.

I'm sure some things slipped through, but damned if I didn't see some creative ways of trying to hide things.

I once knew a fella, along with the rest of his squad, managed to get back full auto AK's during the first Gulf War. They had gotten away clean until one dipshit took theirs to a public range and got busted. That one ended up ratting out the rest.

[murphy j]

For what it's worth; for all of my deployments to Afghanistan (most recent being 2014), we had to clear customs in Kuwait on the way out of theater. Both for R&R as well as redeployment.

My last trip the two way range was 2011-2012 and we had guys make it through the first round of customs with live ammo and grenades. They were found during the second round.I say that to illustrate that customs doesn't always catch everything.

[GTF425]

My last trip the two way range was 2011-2012 and we had guys make it through the first round of customs with live ammo and grenades. They were found during the second round.I say that to illustrate that customs doesn't always catch everything.

In hindsight; we could have easily smuggled things through Bagram.

Where there's a Joe, there's a way.