Letter Follows Deadly Shooting At NAS Pensacola

A form letter created by dozens of U.S. Navy pilots demands that more pilots be allowed to carry sidearms on base in the wake of a deadly shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

A copy of the letter was acquired by Fox News. It is designed to assist military personnel express their concerns to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

The letter calls the situation that prevents military personnel from carrying firearms, and relying on off-base civilian law enforcement for their protection, "reprehensible".

The letter cites a 1992 which makes military bases "soft targets" with on-base security provided by contracted civilians "whose physical fitness requirements and specialized training fall far short of the standard servicemember’s."

The pilots who crafted the letter say they hope the effort will "discontinue what has become a severe irony burdening our servicemembers: that they can be entrusted to fly multimillion-dollar aircraft over hostile territory, command companies of infantrymen into battle, or captain ships around the world, all while holding the nation’s top security clearances, but when back home are not trusted to carry a simple pistol in order to protect themselves, their families and their fellow servicemembers.”

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report