I seem to remember a few of my "gun savy" pilots bringing their weapons on board TR when we deployed. I believe they were kept locked up in the ship's gun locker. This, of course, was in the late 80's so I'm sure things have changed.
Nowadays, it seems people wet themselves at the thought of an aviator even putting a loaded magazine in his/her weapon before being shot down. The amount of cluelessness and flat-out fear regarding firearms in Navy Air never ceases to amaze me. Is it too much to require that people be at least somewhat proficient in ALL their issued weapons, not just the big gray ones that you sit in? I swear the Marines are laughing at us, and with good reason.I seem to remember a few of my "gun savy" pilots bringing their weapons on board TR when we deployed. I believe they were kept locked up in the ship's gun locker. This, of course, was in the late 80's so I'm sure things have changed.
I know it's remote, but it's the principle of the thing. What's the chance we'd have to use SERE school, either?I'm all for increased firearm training for aircrews, but on the other hand, the likelyhood of using a handgun in a survival situation that would significantly alter the outcome in your favor seems pretty remote. My presumption is that that factors into the calculus of how much money NAE spends on small arms training.
Nowadays, it seems people wet themselves at the thought of an aviator even putting a loaded magazine in his/her weapon before being shot down. The amount of cluelessness and flat-out fear regarding firearms in Navy Air never ceases to amaze me. Is it too much to require that people be at least somewhat proficient in ALL their issued weapons, not just the big gray ones that you sit in? I swear the Marines are laughing at us, and with good reason.
I know it's remote, but it's the principle of the thing. What's the chance we'd have to use SERE school, either?
It really depends on the service....Check your weapon in and out and try not to shoot yourself.
Different missions, different locations and different services.
It is a shame that someone who owns a handgun and is proficient with it is not allowed to have said weapon with them when their life depended on it. That being said I think the main reason my guys brought their own was because the "issue" weapon at that time was still the .38.
Common sense from a micromanaged, nko, safety stand down, nanny state Navy perspective.
FIFY
Bunch of BS....Color me jaded or overreacting but this is just another BS castration on naval aviation traditions. I know this isn't a recent development, but I still remember reading about the guys that would carry pearl handled .45's with them into combat. Not saying that john Wayne shit is necessary, but I'm pretty sure if I had ended up in that situation, I'd want to feel as much like Rambo as I possibly could.
Edit: oh, and I'm sure the tipping point in the war on terrorism is that one Isis asshole getting his hands on my .45. God help us...
If you are a 4-star you could carry whatever the hell you wanted but even in WWII pretty much everyone else who wasn't special carried what was issued to them. There were some non-standard weapons carried in Vietnam by some but even then from accounts I have read standard issue was still the standard.
Either way it isn't going to happen at all, in any service. Even the guys who actually use their weapons regularly in combat have to use what is issued to them and not ep their favorite piece from home, the only folks who have a choice are still only the special types.
Only because I've seen it myself in Iraq, I'm going to add the Louisiana National Guard to that group as well. They definitely brought some firearms that were taken off the gun racks in their trucks...