Recruiters for the National Guard in Tennessee will now be armed, and they won’t return to the state’s seven storefront locations until their commander is satisfied with security.
The Guard detailed its safety upgrades at a legislative hearing Monday, following the shootings in Chattanooga last month. At strip mall facilities, Maj. Gen. Max Haston says the guard will add a clear Mylar coating to the windows to make them more bullet resistant. They’re also installing camera systems. Other than the cost, Haston says those were easy decisions.
But allowing recruiters to carry a mix of government and personally-owned weapons was a step he didn’t really want to take. Democrats at a legislative hearing asked what if a recruiter turns out to be unstable. Haston said that was considered.
“That is a grave concern of mine,” he said about the prospect of a uniformed attack. “However, we have weighed the costs, and we feel that the balance of justice is more to the other than it is having somebody that is mentally deranged.”
The Guard still has some details to work out, such as whether recruiters will be able to carry a gun in their federally-issued vehicle.
In total, Haston recommends $18 million in security upgrades across the Tennessee Guard. The most expensive elements are for the armories, where he wants fences that can withstand being rammed by a vehicle.
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