Army chief urges caution amid calls to arm more US soldiers in wake of fatal shooting

The Army's top officer said Friday they would review security at military recruiting and reserve centers in the aftermath of the deadly shooting in Tennessee, but urged caution amid growing calls to arm more soldiers to protect against these kinds of attacks. 

Gen. Ray Odierno, chief of staff of the Army, told reporters that arming troops in those offices could cause more problems than it might solve. 

"I think we have to be careful about over-arming ourselves, and I'm not talking about where you end up attacking each other," Odierno said during a morning breakfast. Instead, he said, it's more about "accidental discharges and everything else that goes along with having weapons that are loaded that causes injuries." 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/17/army-chief-urges-caution-on-calls-to-arm-more-us-soldiers-in-wake-fatal/


You know, I think that you could make a case for arming service members when they are off base. 
The uniform does make them a target for terrorists and lunatics.
We let the nuts have dangerous weapons.
Service members are screened. They are trained in the use of firearms, and they are disciplined.
So, there is a case to be made.

Unfortunately, there are people all too anxious to exploit this tragedy for the sake of partisan politics.
If one looks at the comments you will, of course, see Obama being blamed for "leaving our soldiers helpless".
The sad irony is that, a few days ago, these same people were accusing our service members of preparing to use their weapons in an invasion of Texas.