The amphibious transport dock ship San Antonio, seen here in April, has arrived in the Mediterranean Sea. (MC3 Lacordrick Wilson:Navy)

The U.S. Navy’s twitter account is reporting that there has been an “incident” near their naval facility in Millington (near the National Guard building). Others are reporting that two people have been shot and the shooter is in custody, though no word on their condition. While we wait for more details, we here at TTAG would like to remind you readers that military bases in the United States are technically “gun free” zones, as concealed carry is illegal and firearms are not issued to members of the military who are not on guard duty.

43 COMMENTS

  1. And millington is primarily a training base for aviation units (Navy and Marine) Kind of like great Lakes in Chicago. Almost all Young recruits/first year in the service guys and instructors.

    • Not correct. Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millinton is the home of Navy Personnel Command. You may be thinking of Naval Air Station Meridian, the location where for initial jet training in the T-45 Goshawk. Furthermore, NAS Pensacola is the first stop for enlisted aviation personnel, as it’s the location of the majority of A and C schools for aviation billets.

        • There may be a few A or C Schools there, but I can’t remember. Millington is primarily for NAVPERS.

        • The Navy moved all the A and C schools to P’cola in ’95. Now we house Personnel Command, Recruiting Command, and a host of other Navy and DOD tennants.

          We went on lockdown and to FPCon Charlie at about 1:15 Central time. By 2:15 it was over, the base was re-opened, and I could go outside for a smoke.

  2. Depends on the base, but back in my Navy day’s we always carried the M9’s (in a duty status) with a round chambered. (Condition 1). Granted, if you were not in a duty status, you didn’t have one.

    • Yeah but what year was that? Since like the 80’s or 90’s or so All military bases have been disarmed unless you are specifically part of base security/MPs or specifically on watch. This was looked at deeply after the Navy Yard shooting when everyone wondered how it could happen at a military base…

      Well Military bases in the US are gigantic gun free zones today.

      • This was circa 2007. On watch security personnel equipped with firearms carried condition 1. As far as I know, to this day, this is still current shipboard practice.

        • Certainly the case hete at NSA Mid-South. However, there are about 5000 people on this base (not counting families in baase housing) and at any given time maybe 30 of them are carrying in condition one.

    • We always carry the M9 with a round chambered when I was on watch. Empty gun with slide to the rear, clearing barrel, insert mag, release slide. Do they seriously not have a round chambered on bases in the States? That is absolutely insane.

      • Today only on-duty security forces are armed at all. You could be a 300 series Marine but you are disarmed unless you are on a planned training event. You’re running around to medical today, going to get checkout on some vehicle, feild daying shit, etc (a standard day) you are not armed.

    • I was private gate security at a military base here in NM a couple of years ago; we carried our M9’s with a round in the chamber.

  3. Nick,
    Not true. Air Force Security Forces carry their M-9’s with a round in the chamber and the weapon de-cocked. If it is CONUS, they carry hollo points; OCONUS if ball ammunition.

    I think all military should be allowed to carry 24/7, but the status regarding the condition of the weapon varies between branches.

  4. Shooter in custody; wounds to two persons are not life threatening — one man hit in the foot and the other in the leg.

  5. To clarify, Naval Security also carries their m9 condition 1, weapons carried in condition 3 are the M16/4 and the Mossy 500 (rounds in tube but not in chamber)

  6. When I carry in the Army as a guard it’s in condition 3 or as we call it “yellow”. I don’t know if the DOD cops or gate guards do this as well.

  7. Meeeeeeeeeh. Depends on location and unit for whether there’s a round in the chamber or not. At one particular unit when we did gate guard and rifles were used then command mandated condition 3 so we could rack a round as an EOF which didn’t really mean much because if you get a Marine to bring his rifle to bear on you then you’re probably not long for this world anyways. At a different post and opposite coast we had Mossberg 500s if I remember right and that post there was a round in the chamber, only the guys on QRF for the gate were condition 3.

  8. My 10yr old son, after hearing about this on the radio, aptly pointed out that, “It’s weird that there is a navy base in Tennessee cause they don’t have water there.”

    I had no good answer to give him.

    • Near Hawthorne Nevada is a sign, “‘Naval Undersea Warfare Training Center’”
      That one was a real head scratcher…

      • My father’s WWII duty station was primarily at the Naval Air Station in Norman, Oklahoma. Didn’t see much salt water there, either.

    • Well, Chris Dorner’s military experience, from what I can gather, consisted of conducting anti-submarine warfare in a landlocked high desert state. The U.S. military certainly leaves nothing to chance.

    • Good catch on your kid, but there’s Naval stations near Dallas/FW, yes it’s an air station, but Navy nonetheless.

    • Adam, the base originally opened in 1942 and its purpose was initial Navy pilot training. After WW2 it became a training facility for young enlisted troops, with an emphasis on aircraft. We had schools on things like engine repair, air traffic control, avionics, airframe maintenance, etc.

      In 1993 they decided to move the schools to Pensacola, and move much of the administrative activity, notably Personnel and Recruiting Commands, from the DC area to here.

      Nothing we do requires water.

  9. So I guess gone are the days when you don’t have to instantly hear about it every time someone cuts a fart or pops a cap.

    All the instant information gratification is constantly coming at us compliments of the various media sources who also provide instant hand wringing editorial comment on the fly. This all plays right into the hands of the grabbers and their leftist media friends who will magnify any shooting event no matter who does the shooting to give themselves just a little more purchase for restricting gun rights.

    Once the message is delivered, the damage is done, even if the outcome and the facts are neither relative to nor support the anti’s agenda.

    Sad; we lose a little more each time.

      • Yes, however it was still an event involving a “gun” resulting in a police shooting that resulted in a “child’s” death.

        The progressive antis’ predictable position will be that due to the “uncontrolled” proliferation of firearms, in particular “assault weapons”, and the availability of realistic replicas – in this case a replica AK – the shooting of the 13 y/o just provides more evidence that “guns” are “bad”, particularly given the “gun culture” created by the NRA and gun nuts.

        You know the drill.

        In their eyes, no matter what, we are wrong, guns are wrong. That is the drum beat the antis will continue to sound, and EVERY gun involved event provides an opportunity for them to repeat it.

        And so it goes.

  10. I was stationed at NAS Millington for basic Aviation Maint. waaaay back in ’82…I assume thats where they still do that particular training. Typical dump of a military town right outside the base. Probably hasn’t improved with time.

    • It’s actually much nicer now than before BRAC 93 sent the schools to P’cola. Very few E 1-3 on base now, Much higher proportion of officers. All those ratty little apartments just west of the base are all torn down.

  11. Check out local news WREG or WMC TV in Memphis, TN.

    Soldiers who had been shot took down shooter (so much for run and hide). Recruiter who was about to be disciplined. Reportedly firearm was chambered in 9mm short (.380 ACP).

    NG armory is outside the Naval Support Activity security perimeter, but is still a gun free zone.

    BTW: For those folks posting above and wondering, NSA Millington has no training units anymore. All moved elsewhere. Just Navy personnel command and a few reserve units. No planes. Sold the airfield to the City of Millington. Largest concentration of O-6 reserved parking slots I have ever seen away from the Pentagon.

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