MADISON, Wis., July 21 (UPI) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker authorized the Wisconsin National Guard to carry weapons while on duty, making the state the seventh in the nation to make the change following the deadly attack on military facilities in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Walker said in a statement, “Safety must be our top priority, especially in light of the horrific attack in Chattanooga. Allowing our National Guard members to carry weapons while on duty gives them the tools they need to serve and protect our citizens, as well as themselves. I am also directing Adjutant General Donald Dunbar to evaluate longer-term plans to ensure the safety of our service members.”
Walker’s executive order calls for arming “certain Wisconsin National Guard personnel as reasonably necessary to preserve the lives, property, and security of themselves and other persons subject to the threat of an attack” similar to last week’s shooting. There are 7,700 members in the Wisconsin National Guard.
“What I believe everybody is concerned about is some kind of copycat,” said John Goheen, a spokesman for The National Guard Association of the United States. “The knowledge that some guardsmen are armed may provide some deterrence.”
Wisconsin joins Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas to arm the National Guard. All of the states are led by Republican governors.
Muhammad Abdulazeez, 24, killed four Marines and a Navy sailor last week when he opened fire on a military recruitment center and a Navy and Marines reservist center. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has ordered a statewide review of weapons rules at military facilities.
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