By: José Niño
The parents of one of the Pensacola Naval Air Station shooting victims are now pushing for concealed carry on military bases around the country.
AWR Hawkins of Breitbart News reported that Joshua Watson was one of the three individuals that Saudi Arabian military member Mohammed Alshamrani killed in cold blood on December 6, 2019.
According to an FBI report, Alshamrani had ties to Islamic terror group Al-Qaeda.
The base was a gun-free zone during the time shooting took place. In effect, Alshamrani’s victims could not put up a fight against the murderer.
The naval station’s firearms policy clearly outlines that “state issued ‘concealed weapons permits’ are not recognized on any Navy installation.” Additionally, the policy stipulates that personal firearms brought on base after receiving approval from a commanding officer “may only be stored in the installation’s armory.” On the way to the armory, said firearms must be “unloaded and secured with a trigger lock and ammunition must be carried in the farthest most possible location away from the firearm.”
Joshua Watson’s father, Benjamin, believes that letting military personnel carry concealed firearms would serve as a deterrent to future attacks.
According to a Fox News, Benjamin said he wants “young men and women who are stranding watch” in the military to be armed. Benjamin’s son was unarmed during this incident, which resulted in the deaths of two other U.S Navy sailors. The perpetrator of the attack was neutralized by Escambia County sheriff’s deputies.
Benjamin Watson said:
“I’m for concealed carry. … It would be such a deterrent to anybody that would harm us, knowing that anyone in who’s walking that base in uniform, they could be armed. They could return fire. They could defend themselves and others. We don’t have that right now.”
It is truly a shame that America’s bravest are still denied the right to carry in many military facilities, despite their service and sacrifice. Joshua Watson would likely have been alive today had military authorities decided not to turn NAS Pensacola into a criminal safe zone.
José Niño is a Venezuelan American freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.