Congressman John Carter (R-TX31) issued the following statement regarding allowing service member to conceal carry on military installations.

“Yesterday, I along with 69 of my colleagues in the House and Senate, sent Secretary of Defense Ash Carter a letter requesting he allow Commanding Officers at military bases and reserve centers to authorize certain personnel to carry personal firearms. There have been far too many tragedies in recent years that may have been prevented if our soldiers had been armed.”  

 “In May, an amendment I proposed passed the House and was included within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to allow service members to conceal carry on military installations. After the tragedies at Ft. Hood, I saw the need to empower installation commanders to decide what policy is best and who should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon for their personal or force protection. I have the utmost confidence in our senior military leadership and the soldiers who serve and I trust they will use this authority to improve security and prevent future tragedies.”

“I am deeply saddened and disturbed by last week’s terrorist attack on our soldiers in Chattanooga. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those Marines, and the Sailor who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our great nation, and with those who were injured. We should never have to mourn the loss of a soldier or civilian due to shootings on military bases. I believe it is our duty to do everything in our power to keep our men and women in uniform safe, and that includes allowing them to protect themselves.”

The text of the letter to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is attached.

Rep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Subcommittee. 

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