Firearms at USNA

Pippip

5-Year Member
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Jul 7, 2011
Messages
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Are midshipmen allowed to conceal carry pistols on campus, or even own one? I was thinking about this, and was unsure if it was allowed.
 
No and no, or at least not on the yard. Every couple years there's a push to allow mids to store personally owned firearms in the armory, and it always gets shot down.
 
Are midshipmen allowed to conceal carry pistols on campus, or even own one? I was thinking about this, and was unsure if it was allowed.

While I am a big proponent of CCW (More Guns, Less Crime) and understand that in some parts of Annapolis at night CCW might be a good option for your own personal protection, I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would need (or want) to carry a concealed pistol on the grounds of the USNA.

Has violent crime gotten so bad outside of Bancroft Hall that you feel carrying a concealed firearm is your best protection?

:scratch:
 
I think any midshipman wishing to use their own personal handgun at a local commercial shooting range would be concerned with this type questions.
 
I think any midshipman wishing to use their own personal handgun at a local commercial shooting range would be concerned with this type questions.

I would agree if that was the question being asked.

But that's not what he asked.

Go back and read it again.

The question was about carrying a concealed pistol on campus.

BIG difference.

MD law allows anyone to transport a firearm (regulated or not) to and from a range, as long as it is unloaded and out of easy reach (i.e. in the trunk). You cannot carry a concealed pistol while going to a commercial shooting range unless you posses an almost-impossible-to-get permit. It is not a "shall issue" state.
 
I think any midshipman wishing to use their own personal handgun at a local commercial shooting range would be concerned with this type questions.

Not familiar with the Annapolis area, but I think the closest public shooting range is On Target (?). I am sure there are some private gun clubs. So is it really fesable for a midshipman to go shooting at a commercial range? I am assuming only seniors are allowed to have POVs.
 
While I am a big proponent of CCW (More Guns, Less Crime) and understand that in some parts of Annapolis at night CCW might be a good option for your own personal protection, I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would need (or want) to carry a concealed pistol on the grounds of the USNA.

Has violent crime gotten so bad outside of Bancroft Hall that you feel carrying a concealed firearm is your best protection?

:scratch:

I couldn't resist - exercising our Constitutional right doesn't require any justification.

But I do agree that there is no real good reason why a midshipman would need to carry a concealed pistol on the grounds of the USNA.

A bullet takes seconds where 911 call response times are in minutes. I am sure U.S. Marines and other security personnel guarding the academy are very competent, but it only takes a lone wolf crazy to do bad things before he or she can be stopped . . .
 
Not allowed to carry concealed weapons at USNA or any other base (from what I recall). Bases are pretty strict on weapons registration and when/how someone can carry firearms. Even transporting you service weapons to/from the armory for weapons qualification/training is regulated on how/where you can put the weapon in your vehicle. If you reside on base after commissioning, there is a registration process that all firearms have to go through. Most bases that I was stationed on allowed hunting so there were alot of hunting rifles around, you just have to follow the rules.
 
I couldn't resist - exercising our Constitutional right doesn't require any justification.

It does in the People's Republic of Maryland. :wink:

And yes, I understand that USNA is Federal property and different laws/rules may apply on the grounds, yet I still cannot fathom a reason to carry a concealed pistol on the campus of the USNA.

FYI - An arrest for carrying a concealed pistol (going to/from a range does not matter) in MD (without a CCW permit) carries 3 years in jail and a $1,000 fine.
 
But I do agree that there is no real good reason why a midshipman would need to carry a concealed pistol on the grounds of the USNA.
A part of the OP's original post was asking if gun ownership was allowed. Of course, a negative response negated the remainder of his concerns. However, just assume for a minute that mids were allowed to store personal handguns in an Armory in Bancroft Hall as per standard Navy policy on most other bases. Additionally, other Academy rules are those restricting automobile ownership and parking. So the mid, with his legal handgun, walks out of Bancroft Hall (on his way to a commercial shooting range) and then to either a taxicab outside Gate 1 or his own POV located at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Both constitute having a handgun on their person while in the Yard. Personally, I would love to see a couple of Plebes walking down Stribling twirling their .44 magnums to an audience of 30 little old lady tourons. It would probably cut down drastically on obnoxious tourists. Perhaps we now understand why mids are not allowed to own weapons. Period.
 
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