Army General Bans Soldiers from Carrying Guns!
Jeff Knox
March 20, 2006
Major General Charles Jacoby, the Commanding General of US Army Alaska (USARAK), has such little faith and confidence in the men and women serving in his command that he has forbidden them to exercise a right the rest of Alaskans enjoy: the right to a ready means of self defense by carrying a concealed firearm.
Any law-abiding person in the state of Alaska who may legally possess a gun may legally carry that gun concealed on their person without acquiring special permission from the authorities. Alaskans who wish to be able to carry concealed in other states can obtain a concealed carry license from the state of Alaska which is recognized by a number of other states.
Under a policy instituted by General Jacoby in February, law-abiding members of the U.S. Army serving in Alaska who may under Alaska law carry a concealed firearm, face sanctions or prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice if they choose to do so.
The General?s low regard for his Soldiers is obvious in his simply worded Policy Statement: ?Carrying concealed deadly weapons by USARAK Soldiers represents a significant risk to the safety and welfare of this command. Accordingly, all Soldiers assigned or attached to USARAK are prohibited from carrying a concealed deadly weapon in public places off of all USARAK posts. All persons are prohibited from carrying concealed deadly weapons on USARAK posts IAW (in accordance with) USARAK Regulation 190-1.?
General Jacoby?s mistrust of his Soldiers runs so deep that he requires any Soldier in his command ? which includes the entire state of Alaska ? who owns a firearm to register said firearm within three days of joining the command or of acquiring the firearm and to store all firearms and ammunition in a manner prescribed by the General.
So, not only is it a violation of General Jacoby?s orders for any Soldier serving in Alaska to carry a concealed firearm in public ? on post or off ? it is also a sanctionable offense for any Soldier to have a loaded firearm in his or her home! All ammunition must be stored in a locked container!
This home insecurity rule applies beyond Soldiers who live on post. The policy applies to all ?firearms maintained in the household of a military member? regardless of where that household is located.
For Soldiers living in the barracks, their firearms and ammunition must be stored in the unit arms room and may only be ?checked-out? with written authorization from the Soldier?s unit Commander. The Soldier must obtain such written permission each and every time he wishes to remove his firearm from the arms room and must return the firearm directly to the arms room again immediately upon completion of whatever ?authorized activity? he was using it for. Storing the gun in a locker at the range or in a friend?s safe off post is not allowed. Apparently that would allow the Soldier access to the firearm without a superior officer knowing about it in advance and that is something General Jacoby simply will not tolerate.
These rules apply to all U.S. Army personnel serving in Alaska regardless of rank, function, or training, including Military Police, members of Special Forces, and firearms instructors. Soldiers who have undergone special training and have obtained a concealed carry permit in another state such as Arizona, where 8 hours of classroom and range instruction is required, are still forbidden to carry concealed in Alaska while under the command of General Jacoby.
Something interesting in the actual Policy Statement is the fact that General Jacoby always capitalizes the word ?Soldier.? This has become a standard practice throughout the Army as a demonstration of respect for the commitment and professionalism the term Soldier implies. It is a telling contradiction that the General offers this symbolic display of respect within a document that declares his total lack of trust and confidence in these same Soldiers.
How is it that an officer with such an obvious fear of firearms and deep-seated mistrust of his subordinates could attain the rank of Major General in the greatest Army in the world? Perhaps that is a question that should be asked of General Jacoby?s superiors, starting with the President of the United States.
George W. Bush, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC 20500
General Peter J. Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the Army, 1500 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310-1500
General John Brown, Commander, U.S. Army Pacific, Fort Shafter, HI 96858
And General Jacoby himself: General Charles Jacoby, Commander, US Army Alaska, Fort Richardson, AK 99505
Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit is included. To Receive the Firearms Coalition?s bi-monthly newsletter, The Hard Corps Report, send a contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108 or visit FirearmsCoalition.org and ShotgunNews.com ?Copyright 2006 Neal Knox Associates
Any law-abiding person in the state of Alaska who may legally possess a gun may legally carry that gun concealed on their person without acquiring special permission from the authorities. Alaskans who wish to be able to carry concealed in other states can obtain a concealed carry license from the state of Alaska which is recognized by a number of other states.
Under a policy instituted by General Jacoby in February, law-abiding members of the U.S. Army serving in Alaska who may under Alaska law carry a concealed firearm, face sanctions or prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice if they choose to do so.
The General?s low regard for his Soldiers is obvious in his simply worded Policy Statement: ?Carrying concealed deadly weapons by USARAK Soldiers represents a significant risk to the safety and welfare of this command. Accordingly, all Soldiers assigned or attached to USARAK are prohibited from carrying a concealed deadly weapon in public places off of all USARAK posts. All persons are prohibited from carrying concealed deadly weapons on USARAK posts IAW (in accordance with) USARAK Regulation 190-1.?
General Jacoby?s mistrust of his Soldiers runs so deep that he requires any Soldier in his command ? which includes the entire state of Alaska ? who owns a firearm to register said firearm within three days of joining the command or of acquiring the firearm and to store all firearms and ammunition in a manner prescribed by the General.
So, not only is it a violation of General Jacoby?s orders for any Soldier serving in Alaska to carry a concealed firearm in public ? on post or off ? it is also a sanctionable offense for any Soldier to have a loaded firearm in his or her home! All ammunition must be stored in a locked container!
This home insecurity rule applies beyond Soldiers who live on post. The policy applies to all ?firearms maintained in the household of a military member? regardless of where that household is located.
For Soldiers living in the barracks, their firearms and ammunition must be stored in the unit arms room and may only be ?checked-out? with written authorization from the Soldier?s unit Commander. The Soldier must obtain such written permission each and every time he wishes to remove his firearm from the arms room and must return the firearm directly to the arms room again immediately upon completion of whatever ?authorized activity? he was using it for. Storing the gun in a locker at the range or in a friend?s safe off post is not allowed. Apparently that would allow the Soldier access to the firearm without a superior officer knowing about it in advance and that is something General Jacoby simply will not tolerate.
These rules apply to all U.S. Army personnel serving in Alaska regardless of rank, function, or training, including Military Police, members of Special Forces, and firearms instructors. Soldiers who have undergone special training and have obtained a concealed carry permit in another state such as Arizona, where 8 hours of classroom and range instruction is required, are still forbidden to carry concealed in Alaska while under the command of General Jacoby.
Something interesting in the actual Policy Statement is the fact that General Jacoby always capitalizes the word ?Soldier.? This has become a standard practice throughout the Army as a demonstration of respect for the commitment and professionalism the term Soldier implies. It is a telling contradiction that the General offers this symbolic display of respect within a document that declares his total lack of trust and confidence in these same Soldiers.
How is it that an officer with such an obvious fear of firearms and deep-seated mistrust of his subordinates could attain the rank of Major General in the greatest Army in the world? Perhaps that is a question that should be asked of General Jacoby?s superiors, starting with the President of the United States.
George W. Bush, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC 20500
General Peter J. Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the Army, 1500 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310-1500
General John Brown, Commander, U.S. Army Pacific, Fort Shafter, HI 96858
And General Jacoby himself: General Charles Jacoby, Commander, US Army Alaska, Fort Richardson, AK 99505
Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit is included. To Receive the Firearms Coalition?s bi-monthly newsletter, The Hard Corps Report, send a contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108 or visit FirearmsCoalition.org and ShotgunNews.com ?Copyright 2006 Neal Knox Associates
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