Armed Volunteers Guard Military Recruitment Centers In NH
MANCHESTER, NH (CBS) - "This is what's called an FN SCAR 16S," explained Stevie D, displaying his semi-automatic weapon outside a military recruitment center in Manchester, New Hampshire. "We can't let these attacks happen again. I wouldn't be able to sleep anymore."
He's part of a group of armed civilian volunteers guarding recruitment offices around the country after last week's shooting in Chattanooga took the lives of four marines and a sailor.
Signs out front prohibit guns inside, a ban that applies as much to the military officers working in recruitment centers, as it does to the public. But in New Hampshire, gun owners don't require a permit to openly carry a gun, so Brian Blackden, stood with his gun outside a Concord recruitment center. He said it makes no sense to, "put somebody in a military uniform that we expect to protect our country, and we expect them to do it weaponless. It's lunacy."
CBS has learned that military commanders have ordered recruitment centers to be vigilant and take security precautions. In Manchester, the front door that's usually open to the public is now locked, with a sign instructing visitors to call for a recruitment officer to come to the door.
Politicians are debating whether policies should be changed to allow them to arm themselves. For now, self-appointed civilian guards plan to volunteer in shifts during office hours.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports