Can active duty military service members who live on a military base own and have guns (rifles, pistols, shotguns)?

PV2 J M — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 20:51:19 -0400

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Oct 31 at 2017 8:57 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 20:57:21 -0400

PV2 J M Lots of Them but You Have to Keep it in the Armory at Least You Had to when I Served. And it is a Pain in the Ass to Check Out Your Own Weapon.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Oct 31 at 2017 9:12 PM

LTC Kevin B. — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 21:12:59 -0400

Basically, yes. However, if you live in the barracks, you can't keep them in your room (the unit will dictate where you keep them, and normally that's in the arms room). If you live in housing, you can normally keep them with you. Some bases may have slightly different rules though.

Response by SGT Matthew S. made Oct 31 at 2017 9:25 PM

SGT Matthew S. — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 21:25:37 -0400

Yes, in the Army, with your Commander's approval and in the Arms Room unless you don't live in the barracks. When I was at Ft Riley, the Post also required you to have a form signed by your CO and the firearm(s) registered with the Post BEFORE you brought it through the front gate.

I learned that the hard way as I didn't know that and bought something at a gun show; stored it with a buddy who lived in married housing. Got the form signed by the CO & went to register it with the Post... and they were *not* very happy with me.

Response by Capt Gregory Prickett made Oct 31 at 2017 10:07 PM

Capt Gregory Prickett — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 22:07:17 -0400

In the Air Force, yes, but if you're in the dorms, they have to be stored at the SP Armory and it's a pain in the ass to check out. If you're in base housing, they may be stored in your residence after they have been registered, but under local regulations on how they are stored.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Nov 1 at 2017 12:52 AM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 00:52:19 -0400

Yes. But no guns in Barracks (Dorms for AF) folks.

I don’t know about the Navy, but they probably frown on them on ships unless you are part of the Marine contingent.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 1 at 2017 9:27 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 09:27:40 -0400

yes but you have to register them and turn them in to an arms room and you have to sign it in and out, so it becomes gov property

Response by SSgt Dan Montague made Nov 1 at 2017 10:46 AM

SSgt Dan Montague — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 10:46:21 -0400

On a Marine base yes. This was 5+ years ago.
I had to register all guns and knives with PMO. First make sure all of your weapons are legal in your state.
The office was logging in all the weapons I had. He kinda laughed and said if they ever had to enter my house, they would need to bring the swat team.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 1 at 2017 11:34 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 11:34:45 -0400

Yes, although I believe there is a difference in storage and registration among some of the bases/posts in the military. At Fort Bliss you can own an unlimited number of weapons, but they must be registered with the provost marshal and you can store them in your quarters.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Nov 1 at 2017 11:38 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 11:38:34 -0400

Yes, military members who live on an installation can own firearms. Can they bring them onto the installation and store them in their quarters? It's most likely up to the local installation commander. In the "old days" you could bring them on base in a locked transportation container, aka gun case, transport to your quarters where they could be stored in a "gun safe." Later on, after 9/11, I heard (cannot confirm) that privately owned firearms had to be stored the an "armory" at the base rod and gun club or recreational services. Currently, there is a big "no guns" sign at the base gate, which is of course guarded by well armed Security Forces Airmen.

Response by GySgt Bill Smith made Nov 1 at 2017 11:48 AM

GySgt Bill Smith — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 11:48:20 -0400

Yes, buttttttt. It is a pain in the ass and a lot of people are going to think you lost your mind. Get buddy buddy with someone in your unit that lives off base and store them there.

Response by MSgt Gerald Orvis made Nov 1 at 2017 1:01 PM

MSgt Gerald Orvis — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 13:01:12 -0400

The basic answer is yes, although if you live in the barracks, you must keep your guns in the unit armory/arms room. Also, since you are on a federal installation, all of your weapons must be registered with the military police. If you live in base housing, you can keep your guns there, although the rules can vary by base - some are more stringent than others. There are also rules as to how you can transport guns on base. Also note that if you have a state concealed carry permit, the federal government does not honor it on military installations, so don't even think about it.

If you are living off base (and this applies to retirees, too) and go into the PX to buy a gun, things can get a little dicey. I (a retiree) spent a big chunk of cash to purchase a Colt M45A1 .45 pistol at the Quantico PX. The sale went down just like in a gun store - had to fill out federal and state paperwork, wait for a background check to be run, &c. Once the sale was complete, I and my new pistol were (to me) suddenly treated as if we had the pox and given the bum's rush out the door with an escort and I was told drive straight off base as quickly as possible, since my pistol was not registered (OMG!). It was a belittling experience. I'll go to the PX there now and then, but I'll never buy another gun there. I avoid going on base generally because of the ban on concealed carry. IMHO, the federal military base gun control bureaucracy and my purchase experience was just a reflection of what gun purchases and ownership would be like in the civilian world if the gun control advocates had their way. Because even the troops' military weapons are kept locked in armories these days, nobody goes armed on base except military police and other specially authorized personnel. It's a far cry from what I experienced in the '60s-'70s, when we kept our rifles in the squadbay and had access to them anytime. Not so anymore. How could a terrorist kill large numbers of people on a military base (as happened in Texas a few years back)? That's the reason right there. Everybody is unarmed and defenseless, and it takes the MPs a while to get there to fight back.

Response by SPC Ramon Flores made Apr 27 at 2020 2:59 PM

SPC Ramon Flores — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 14:59:03 -0400

When I was stationed at ft. Carson, I risked getting an article 15 by storing a handgun in my barrack room.