FORT CHAFFEE (KFSM)- The Arkansas National Guard is training some of its active duty and reserve members to use firearms after Governor Asa Hutchinson issued an executive order to arm personnel following the shooting rampage at a recruiting station and Navy and Marine Reserve center in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The shooter, Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, killed four Marines and a sailor according to police.
In an executive order issued July 20, Hutchinson states in part, “The Arkansas Adjutant General Major General Mark Berry is authorized and directed to identify and arm appropriate and qualified members of the Arkansas National Guard personnel as reasonably necessary to preserve the lives, property, and security of themselves and other persons subject to threat of an attack.”
Lt. Col. Lynch with the Arkansas National Guard said the number of armed personnel will be “controlled and limited.”
About 70 soldiers from across western Arkansas spent Wednesday (July 29) training at Fort Chaffee, both in a classroom and at a shooting range.
“Using a weapon for defensive measures in a civilian community, right here in our home state of Arkansas, is different from what they may experience in Iraq or in Afghanistan,” Lt. Col. Dwight Ikenberry with Fort Chaffee said.
After the training, troops will return to their jobs at armories and recruiting offices armed with a military-issued 9mm pistol. Ikenberry said it is a different weapon than what many of them are used to.
“Most of our soldiers primarily carry an M16 rifle or an M4 rifle. So an 9mm pistol, most of them aren't qualified on," he said. "They may have shot one previously in some line of duty, but they have to have a current weapons qualification on that particular weapon."
Sgt. Bobby Martin works at a National Guard armory in Siloam Springs and was at Fort Chaffee for the training.
"We have never had any trouble, but you never can tell when you could run into trouble,” he said. “[It is] just another security measure for us to have at the armory.”
Martin said although some soldiers are adjusting to using a pistol, he is confident in their abilities.
"We are soldiers; we should all be proficient with weapons anyway," he said. "This is just extra training for the guys and it is a great thing for us to have the ammunition and the ability to come out and just train."
About 25 more members of the Arkansas National Guard will be trained Thursday at Fort Chaffee. Training also took place at Camp Robinson in Little Rock this week.
Arkansas is one of seven states arming its National Guard.