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2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate NEWS NOW Suspicious package forces evacuation of Jackson County Sheriff's Office ... Fatal crash slows traffic on Interstate 5 near Gold Hill ... Police seek man who conducted fake traffic stop Friday ... Suspicious package forces evacuation of Jackson County Sheriff's Office ... Fatal crash slows traffic on Interstate 5 near Gold Hill ... Police seek man who conducted fake traffic stop Friday ... OUR VIEW Our View: Volunteer security? Thanks, but no thanks Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Jul. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News When tragedy strikes, it's a natural impulse to want to Do Something. When the tragedy is the senseless shooting deaths of U.S. military personnel on American soil, and the victims are unarmed by military policy, it's not surprising that gun-rights activists have volunteered themselves as armed guards at military recruiting centers across the country. Not surprising, but not helpful either.  A lone gunman last week killed four Marines and sailor at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. The gunman also fired rounds into a nearby recruiting center, wounding one Marine in the leg. Reports that the Marines and sailor were unarmed per military policy prompted outrage from many, and "armed citizen" groups called on their members to serve as volunteer guards at recruiting centers. Members of the Oath Keepers group showed up with rifles and handguns at recruiting offices in Grants Pass, and members of another group, the "3 Percent" organization, reportedly provided security at recruiting offices in Medford. First, let's dispense with some of the misinformation being disseminated on social media and by some presidential candidates regarding the no-guns rule at military installations. The Department of Defense directive — military policy, not a law — was developed in 1992 during President George H.W. Bush's administration, and implemented in 1993, when President Clinton had been in office for two months. Neither Bush nor Clinton was directly involved in the policy, which was implemented for reasons of safety and general order at military facilities. It does allow military personnel assigned to law enforcement, security and prison jobs to carry guns, which is certainly appropriate. Since the Oath Keepers and other groups decided the military needed their help, two guns have been fired accidentally. A volunteer outside a recruiting center in Lancaster, Ohio, accidentally fired a round into the pavement as he was attempting to clear his AR-15 rifle so an interested bystander could look at it. No one was injured; the volunteer was issued a citation and his group was asked to leave. In Georgia, a Navy recruiter shot himself in the leg when his handgun accidentally discharged the day after the Chattanooga shootings. The military has good reasons for its directives regarding guns. Safety is one of them, as the aforementioned incidents might suggest.  Steven Bucci, a military expert for the Heritage Foundation and a former Army colonel, told the fact-checking organization PolitiFact that the general policy regarding guns wasn't new even in 1992. "No one ‘disarmed’ the military — the military itself prefers to manage good order and discipline by not having everyone armed," Bucci said. If military officials, who know a thing or two about guns, believe recruiters are at unacceptable risk, the military is certainly capable of protecting them, and arming them if necessary. State and federal lawmakers are not helping matters by rushing to introduce bills second-guessing military operations by rescinding a policy that has been in place for decades.       MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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