{"id":52579,"date":"2022-06-03T00:36:40","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T00:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:33:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:33:20","slug":"they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/","title":{"rendered":"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editors Note: This <\/i>article<\/i><\/a> first appeared on <\/i>The War Horse<\/i><\/a>, an award-winning nonprofit news organization educating the public on military service. Subscribe to their <\/i>newsletter<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Kyle Bibby reported in to the Naval Academy, he had never fired a gun. But he learned to shoot a pistol. Then a rifle. He learned safety measures and effective training. Eventually, he taught pistol to other midshipmen. When he graduated and was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, he says, \u201cPistols, rifles, machine guns, rockets \u2014 that was my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he became a civilian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am a gun owner, myself,\u201d Bibby says. \u201cAnd I just remember constantly feeling like, Oh, that\u2019s it? I just show up, and you just hand it to me. There\u2019s no safety manual. There\u2019s no, \u2018Hey, I recommend you do this. Hey, do you got a safe place to lock it?\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
2nd Lt. Kyle W. Bibby, 3rd platoon commander for Company B, Battalion Landing Team 1\/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, gives instruction on the fundamentals of infantry patrolling to members of the Qatari Amiri Land Forces, March 29, 2009, in Qatar. (Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Holly\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNope. Just, \u2018Here\u2019s this thing that can kill you or anyone else.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After yet another school shooting \u2014 one that, even as people grieved, caused the usual forays against politicizing tragedy or offering \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d rather than solutions \u2014 veterans continue to speak up, on social media, in organizations they have formed, and in the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some veterans are tired of being seen as homogenous, decked in T-shirts that feature big guns, voting based purely on the idea that you will take their weaponry only from cold, inflexible fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veterans have issues of their own with guns, violence, and suicide. They also know veterans are \u201cjust people\u201d \u2014 often \u201cjust people\u201d who haven\u2019t trained on a weapon in decades \u2014 rather than heroes simply waiting for the Bat-Signal so they can instantly appear in schoolyards across the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They want to help swing the argument back to a conversation about practical solutions, to a place where people can listen to each other and pay attention to the wants and needs of the majority rather than those who use service members and veterans to push a single-note story. They want to help a grieving nation understand that they, too, are diverse in their ideas, backgrounds, and opinions, but they take pride in their ability to work together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re ready to be the good guys with guns, but maybe those guns are kept in a locked box in the garage. Or maybe the good guys with guns are required to train at the range every year to keep their weapons. Or maybe they have to go through a background check to buy them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe veteran space is a really interesting space to talk about gun control, because amongst veterans, just like most issues, there\u2019s a lot of different opinions,\u201d Bibby says. But, \u201cwe know what it\u2019s like to hand an 18-year-old who has very little life experiences a very deadly weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been 27 school shootings<\/a> so far this year, a number that seems to need daily updating. And there have been 119 since 2018<\/a>, according to Education Weekly. Gun violence has risen in general: For the first time, children died more often from guns than in car accidents in 2020, The Washington Post reports<\/a>. Kids have higher access to guns, too, and that increase has led to higher rates of suicide, according to the Society for Research in Child Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, a gunman shot into a crowd at a music festival in Oklahoma<\/a>, killing one and injuring seven. There were no doors to defend, to lock. Six people were shot<\/a> in downtown Chattanooga, with the mayor calling them \u201ckids\u201d: teenagers with access to guns. In Buffalo, a man killed 10 <\/a>people at a grocery store because they were Black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The veterans say the conversations can\u2019t keep ending in a stalemate, and the solutions \u2014 or the beginnings of them \u2014 might be right there for everybody to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Recruits with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, fire their rifles on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Sept. 17, 2019. For one week, recruits must learn and practice the fundamentals of marksmanship before shooting live ammunition on range week. (Lance Cpl. Ryan Hageali\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs an individual soldier, I\u2019ve gone through robust training, and as a company commander, when I oversaw soldiers, we have a training program for them to ensure range safety and firearm safety, as well,\u201d says Anthony Joyce-Rivera, who serves as a major in the U.S. Army but spoke on his own behalf and not for the U.S. government. \u201cAnd on military installations, there is no \u2014 I do not carry a firearm, I\u2019m not allowed to carry a firearm. If I owned a weapon \u2014 full disclosure, I do not own a personal firearm \u2014 but if I did, the post requires you to have it registered with the provost marshal, and it has to be under two-lock security at all times in the home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has never heard anyone complain about the policy, he says. But as a father of three young boys, and as the spouse of a woman who earned a degree because she plans to be a school teacher, he\u2019s troubled by the lack of action around the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He thought a lot about the shooting in Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the things that were in place,\u201d he says. \u201cThe police were, theoretically, at the scene at the time of the shooter showing up, so this \u2018good guys with guns\u2019 \u2014 they were there. Did they do anything in time? The gap to respond was frustrating; seeing the parents in the videos pleading for people to go in and do something, and being restrained, is very troubling and hard to see. Because I can empathize if that were my child in that school and I was a parent outside. \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We have very strict regulations\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGun control\u201d isn\u2019t a foreign concept for service members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the military, we have very strict regulations over safe weapons handling and storage of weapons,\u201d says former Marine Joe Plenzler, an avid shooter since childhood who competes and likes to shoot at ranges. \u201cFor instance, on base, all weapons are stored in the base armory. They are prohibited from being stored in on-base residential areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plenzler also serves on the Veterans Advisory Council for Everytown for Gun Safety<\/a>, a group that advocates for gun safety reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military requires extensive weapons training before anyone\u2019s even allowed on the range: They talk about how to handle weapons. They use weapons simulators. They talk about range procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
After a patrol, Pfc. Estaban Fernando, performs weapon clearing procedures for his M4 carbine at Joint Security Station Justice, Nov. 25, 2009. (Spc. Luisito Brooks\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I go in the military, they don\u2019t just hand me a gun, right?\u201d says Fred Wellman, a retired Army officer and political strategist. \u201cYou don\u2019t just sign in and go, \u2018All right there, Wellman, here\u2019s your M4. And here\u2019s the ammo. Here\u2019s six magazines of ammo. Look, just keep it under your bed.\u2019 No.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sherman Gillums Jr., a Marine Corps veteran and long-time veterans advocate, pushes further, saying it\u2019s a misperception that military training is all about guns: It\u2019s about safety and training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t hand them a weapon, the day they \u2014 a weapon with bullets, I should say \u2014 the day they arrive at boot camp,\u201d he told The War Horse. \u201cIt takes some time. They\u2019re there for about a month before they ever see ammunition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Disclosure: Gillums <\/i>serves on the board of directors<\/i><\/a> for The War Horse.)<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before service members get to that point, they face a background check \u2014 mental<\/a>, physical, and criminal<\/a> \u2014 before they join the military, Wellman says. And the rules that follow the checks and the training are strict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe weapon is kept in a locked and secured facility where you don\u2019t have access to it,\u201d he says. \u201cAmmo is kept separately from that facility. For me to get my weapon, I have to sign it out. There\u2019s rules that apply. I\u2019m trained on the weapon in every way. If I break those rules, there\u2019s punishment. \u2026 We don\u2019t just have guys walk around posts with guns \u2014 because it\u2019s stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with those rules in place, the military mandated further precautions to keep service members safe<\/a> after officials in Iraq reported 126 negligent discharges<\/a> among American troops in Afghanistan over an eight-month period and at least 90 troops died in Iraq<\/a>. After years of rising suicide rates<\/a> as national access to guns increased<\/a>, Veterans Affairs began a campaign<\/a> to encourage veterans to lock up their weapons. (Veterans suicide rates decreased in 2019<\/a>.) And the services insist on continual training because leaders know inexperienced shooters get hurt or hurt others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that care is not what civilians see in the fight for gun-access rights: People in military-type gear armed to the hilt with magazines at the ready appear at state capitols<\/a>, coffee shops<\/a>, and grocery stores<\/a> in their push for more access. In fact, it\u2019s hard to know how many of those protestors are truly veterans. Veterans are, after all, known for losing their minds if a service member points a weapon at a pal<\/a> in a movie, so the idea of a magazine in a rifle at a coffee shop seems out of character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On most military bases, service members aren\u2019t allowed to carry weapons<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe require extensive training for service members to handle weapons,\u201d Plenzler says. \u201cWe only issue live ammunition under strict supervision and on designated training ranges. This is with the exception of people standing security duty or in combat. I would say the military takes weapons safety and storage very seriously, while the civilian community in America does not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018A particular type of patriotism\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gun culture in the United States has long been intertwined with the military. Union veterans, concerned about a lack of marksmanship among their troops during the Civil War, founded the National Rifle Association, which met in Houston this Memorial Day weekend<\/a>. For decades after its formation, the NRA\u2019s rhetoric focused on military readiness \u2014 making sure civilians who might be called on to fight for their country knew how to shoot, says Matthew Lacombe<\/a>, an assistant professor of political science at Barnard College and the author of Firepower: How the NRA Turned Gun Owners into a Political Force<\/i>. But starting in the 1960s, the focus has shifted away from explicit military preparedness and more toward an ideology of \u201ca particular type of patriotism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think what has remained is this notion that gun owners are sort of similar to soldiers,\u201d Lacombe says. \u201cThey\u2019re the patriotic defenders of our way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But many veterans say valorizing the military through gun ownership mischaracterizes the military experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a combat veteran four times over, and most of the time I was in Iraq, I spent sitting in rooms, drinking tea, eating sheep, and trying to keep people from killing each other,\u201d Wellman says. \u201cYou\u2019re really seeing the use of our veteran experience and the military experience as part of this conversation in ways that are troubling. But what\u2019s troubling is that the majority of veterans who commit suicide do so by weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To continue the politicization of the military community, in the immediate aftermath of the Texas school shooting, the memes appeared: Just place an armed veteran in front of every school building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sgt. Ruby Maxime (left), catches the round from the weapon of 1st Lt. Brandon Pasko, a Cincinnati native, as he goes through clearing procedures at Joint Security Station Justice, Nov. 25, 2009. (Spc. Luisito Brooks\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating because it\u2019s not realistic,\u201d Joyce-Rivera says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average veteran served from the ages of 18 to 21, got an honorable discharge, and then went on with their life, he says. Now, at age 48 or so, they haven\u2019t had weapons training in decades. Depending on what their jobs were in the military, they may not have had much to begin with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this idea that veterans are somehow mythical humans that make less faulty decisions than other people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reiterated Wellman\u2019s concerns about suicide: \u201cThe VA is looking at how to address gun violence for suicides for veterans,\u201d he says. \u201cSo is the solution the demographic that already is struggling with suicide through firearms \u2026 having [them] equipped with firearms at schools?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a national conversation about veterans and mental health grows, Republican lawmakers have repeatedly<\/a> introduced<\/a> legislation attempting to protect gun access for veterans, often framing the issue in patriotic terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are struggles that the veteran community is dealing with of their own through gun violence,\u201d Joyce-Rivera says. \u201cAnd the mental health crisis? How do we look at that and thoughtfully address it without just saying, \u2018Veterans are the solution here\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Spc. Juan Graces, an Individual Ready Reserve Soldier and infantryman serving with Bravo Troop 1\/82 Cavalry, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, instructs Ugandan guards on properly loading and clearing the PKM machine gun on Jan. 14, 2010. (Capt. Brandon Ditto\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Gillums Jr.<\/a>, the veterans advocate, the question of veterans and gun access is a complicated one. Any discussion of restricting guns should be part of a broader conversation about mental health care, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, he says, what he finds intolerable is lawmakers who haven\u2019t served posing with guns as a way of declaring their support for the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou see the fingers on a trigger, all the things that show you clearly know nothing about the military culture,\u201d he says, referring to constant training to touch the trigger<\/a> only when it\u2019s time to shoot. \u201cThe point of joining the military is not to have a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Wellman and Gillums Jr. say they see hope in veterans in elected office \u2014 on both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do place a lot of the onus right now going forward on the folks in Congress who know what it means, who know what these weapons can do, who have had to fire them, have had to use them to defend the country, and are now in positions of responsibility \u2014 not authority, responsibility \u2014 to do the right thing,\u201d Gillums Jr. says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018An unacceptable calculus\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Given the long string of shootings from Columbine High School<\/a> to a country music festival in Las Vegas<\/a> to this month\u2019s shootings in Texas and New York, Kyleanne Hunter<\/a>, a former Marine, likened America to a war zone \u2014 maybe even worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe knew we might not come home and we knew we might have to live with guilt of others not coming home,\u201d says Hunter, of Colorado, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Super Cobra<\/a> helicopter pilot and just finished the school year at the Air Force Academy as a professor of political science. \u201cThat\u2019s part of the calculus that you take when you volunteer in an all-volunteer force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Americans shouldn\u2019t expect to face it at home, she says, and the news this month saddened her on a different level: \u201cThat is an unacceptable calculus to exist, going to school or going to a concert or going to church or going to a grocery shop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunter and Plenzler<\/a> push back against the idea that gun control laws can\u2019t make a difference. They are part of the #VetsForGunReform, a movement made up of veterans across the political spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no easy solutions, but there are actionable steps that we could take,\u201d Plenzler says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joyce-Rivera has a suggestion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military employs weapons systems for a specific purpose, Joyce-Rivera says: To kill enemy combatants. But in the United States, people argue for the right to defend their homes. For that purpose, there should be a different weapons system, he says \u2014 one that doesn\u2019t necessarily need to be accurate at 300 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Gunner\u2019s Mate 1st Class Corey Wilhelm, a safety officer at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth\u2019s gun range, educates personnel from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 22 about gun safety and gun handling before a live-fire qualification course in 2020. (MCS2 Nolan Pennington\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the argument is to defend your home, I think we can design weapons systems that fulfill that need, but also help detract against the use of those weapons systems to commit mass shootings and killings,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a military guy, that\u2019s kind of where my head\u2019s at is we got to talk about these things as weapons systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mass shootings aren\u2019t the only violent firearm deaths to think about, Plenzler says. Crimes and suicides, happening in every corner of the country, should also be considered. Nobody he knows has all the answers for how to reverse the trend, Plenzler says, but adds that failing to seek solutions wouldn\u2019t be fair to the victims. And the \u201cfalse binary choices,\u201d often advanced for political purposes, that people are either pro- or anti-gun complicates the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like we need to be all for no restrictions on guns whatsoever or we\u2019re for complete abolition,\u201d Plenzler says. \u201cI mean neither of those extremes are tenable positions. What I\u2019m really interested in is finding the work in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He starts by asking people what would make them feel safer. He often hears support for universal background checks for all gun sales. Many polls, including a survey<\/a> by Morning Consult and Politico conducted one day after the Texas elementary school shooting, back up his assertion. The poll found 73% of respondents \u201cstrongly support\u201d universal background checks and another 15% \u201csomewhat support\u201d the idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The House passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 for all gun sales more than a year ago, but the measure has lingered in the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Petty Officer 2nd Class Zach Bernat, an aviation ordnanceman, demonstrates proper handling and safety procedures of the M240B machine gun before sailors qualify to operate the weapon during a gun shoot in 2010. (Petty Officer 1st Class Rebekah Adler\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think people are getting tired of having a Congress that is flying in the face of public sentiment,\u201d Plenzler says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Morning Consult poll also found that 4% \u201csomewhat\u201d oppose universal background checks and another 4% \u201cstrongly\u201d oppose them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veterans themselves are \u201cmore supportive than nonveterans of expanding civilians\u2019 gun-carrying rights,\u201d according to research published this month in Social Science Quarterly<\/a>, but are more likely to favor \u201cbanning AR15 and military-style rifles and high-capacity ammunition clips.\u201d They\u2019re also more likely to be in favor of a 14-day waiting period for \u201call gun purchases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaken together, these findings appear to reflect a veteran population that is positively disposed toward guns in general, but also understands the destructive power of military-style weapons,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new \u201cdomestic terrorism\u201d bill, which would have opened debate about hate crimes and gun safety, that flew through the House after the shooting in Texas was blocked when every Republican voted against it when it hit the Senate<\/a>, saying it didn\u2019t provide enough emphasis on domestic terrorism committed by those on the far left. Right-wing extremists have \u201cbeen involved in 267 plots or attacks and 91 fatalities\u201d since 2015, The Washington Post reports<\/a>. Left-wing extremists have been involved in \u201c66 incidents leading to 19 deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bipartisan group of Senators is working on a bill that would address background checks for online or gun-show gun purchases, laws that would keep guns away from people a doctor has said could hurt themselves or others, and programs to increase security at schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunter would like to sit down with those who oppose any limits on gun ownership, she says \u2014 especially those who are against any regulations on assault rifles \u2014 to ask them if it is \u201cworth it\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs their AR-15 worth the fact that the generation of school kids that are there right now have worse educational outcomes than their parents because they\u2019re afraid of being at school?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The silence on bipartisan solutions has been the most frustrating point, Joyce-Rivera says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to address the problem,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd the problem is children are being killed with firearms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This War Horse investigation was reported by <\/i>Michael de Yoanna<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Sonner Kehrt<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>Kelly Kennedy<\/i><\/a>; edited by Kelly Kennedy; fact-checked by Ben Kalin; and copy-edited by Mitchell Hansen-Dewar. Headlines are by Abbie Bennett.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On most military bases, service members aren\u2019t allowed to carry weapons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":88883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,23,93,12,25,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[6244,6245,6246],"class_list":["post-52579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"OSGYXXX7DFBTPAA2B7NCEBEPB4","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2022\/06\/02\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nThey are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change. - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On most military bases, service members aren\u2019t allowed to carry weapons.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On most military bases, service members aren\u2019t allowed to carry weapons.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-03T00:36:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T07:33:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kelly Kennedy, Michael de Yoanna, Sonner Kehrt, The War Horse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kelly Kennedy, Michael de Yoanna, Sonner Kehrt, The War Horse\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change.\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-06-03T00:36:40+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T07:33:20+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 3417,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/305450.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t \"Home\",\n\t \"Middle Column\",\n\t \"News\",\n\t \"Newsletters\",\n\t \"Veterans\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change. - Army Times\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/305450.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-06-03T00:36:40+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T07:33:20+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"On most military bases, service members aren\u2019t allowed to carry weapons.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/305450.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/305450.jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/03\\\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change.\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t \"description\": \"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Army Times\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change. - Army Times","description":"On most military bases, service members aren\u2019t allowed to carry weapons.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change.","og_description":"On most military bases, service members aren\u2019t allowed to carry weapons.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/","og_site_name":"Army Times","article_published_time":"2022-06-03T00:36:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T07:33:20+00:00","author":"Kelly Kennedy, Michael de Yoanna, Sonner Kehrt, The War Horse","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kelly Kennedy, Michael de Yoanna, Sonner Kehrt, The War Horse","Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change.","datePublished":"2022-06-03T00:36:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T07:33:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/"},"wordCount":3417,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/305450.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/","name":"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change. - Army Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/305450.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-06-03T00:36:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T07:33:20+00:00","description":"On most military bases, service members aren\u2019t allowed to carry weapons.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/305450.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/305450.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2022\/06\/03\/they-are-the-good-guys-with-guns-after-another-mass-shooting-veterans-want-change\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"They are the good guys with guns. After another mass shooting, veterans want change."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","name":"Army Times","description":"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization","name":"Army Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","caption":"Army Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/305450.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Army Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52579"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52591,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52579\/revisions\/52591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52579"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=52579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}