By Chad Groening - 4/10/2014
A Second Amendment advocate says the concerns of a Fort Hood soldier who was defenseless during the recent massacre at the Texas Army post illustrates the need for service members to be armed on military installations.
The Washington Times reported on Tuesday that a Fort Hood soldier has urged lawmakers in Austin to allow personal firearms to be carried on base. In his letter, 1st Lt. Patrick Cook described the "utter helplessness" he felt when he reached for his belt "for something that wasn't there" as he and 14 other soldiers found themselves barricaded in a room as "a madman with a .45 pistol" fired away and kicked at the door.
Cook added: "Stripped of my God-given right to arm myself, the only defensive posture I had left was to lie prostrate on the ground, and wait to die." He also said one of the soldiers barricaded in the room with him sacrificed his life for the others as he held the door shut against the shooter, Ivan Lopez.
Mike Hammond, legislative counsel to Gun Owners of America, says Lt. Cook has put his career on the line.
"He has put the safety of his fellow soldiers above considerations of personal advancement – and that's the sort of heroism that you would hope for and expect in a United States military serviceman," he tells OneNewsNow.
But Hammond says the Army officer is right on the mark about the consequences of being unarmed on post. "They stripped them of their right to defend themselves, their friends, and their families," he exclaims. "And the second thing they did was they said Oh incidentally, if you even have a gun on a military post we're going to put you on a gun registry. So how'd that work out?"
Hammond believes it was predicable that by disarming those who are trained to use firearms military authorities invited another tragedy at Fort Hood. His group is urging passage of H.R. 3199, a measure that would repeal bans on military personnel carrying firearms on military bases.
President Obama was at Fort Hood Wednesday afternoon to attend a ceremony honoring the three soldiers who were killed and 16 others who were wounded in the April 2 massacre.
The Washington Times reported on Tuesday that a Fort Hood soldier has urged lawmakers in Austin to allow personal firearms to be carried on base. In his letter, 1st Lt. Patrick Cook described the "utter helplessness" he felt when he reached for his belt "for something that wasn't there" as he and 14 other soldiers found themselves barricaded in a room as "a madman with a .45 pistol" fired away and kicked at the door.
Cook added: "Stripped of my God-given right to arm myself, the only defensive posture I had left was to lie prostrate on the ground, and wait to die." He also said one of the soldiers barricaded in the room with him sacrificed his life for the others as he held the door shut against the shooter, Ivan Lopez.
Mike Hammond, legislative counsel to Gun Owners of America, says Lt. Cook has put his career on the line.
"He has put the safety of his fellow soldiers above considerations of personal advancement – and that's the sort of heroism that you would hope for and expect in a United States military serviceman," he tells OneNewsNow.
But Hammond says the Army officer is right on the mark about the consequences of being unarmed on post. "They stripped them of their right to defend themselves, their friends, and their families," he exclaims. "And the second thing they did was they said Oh incidentally, if you even have a gun on a military post we're going to put you on a gun registry. So how'd that work out?"
Hammond believes it was predicable that by disarming those who are trained to use firearms military authorities invited another tragedy at Fort Hood. His group is urging passage of H.R. 3199, a measure that would repeal bans on military personnel carrying firearms on military bases.
President Obama was at Fort Hood Wednesday afternoon to attend a ceremony honoring the three soldiers who were killed and 16 others who were wounded in the April 2 massacre.
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