Tennessee House Passes Bill Adding Security to Military Stations

It isn’t law yet, but the Hamilton county delegation joined lawmakers from across the state in passing a bill in the house to strengthen security at military installations.
The legislation is a reaction to the terrorist attack on the Naval Training Center, and at a Recruiting station in Chattanooga last July.
Americans, and folks here at home learned something last July. That’s when that home-grown terrorist sprayed a recruiting center on Lee Highway with bullets, and then shot and mortally wounded 4 marines and a sailor at the Naval Training Center on Amnicola.
We learned that service members at most U.S. military sites are not armed.
Tennessee lawmakers, like others around the country set out to change that.
House Bill 1438 has passed and will be taken-up by the senate next week.

REP. MIKE CARTER, (R) OOLTEWAH “It passed overwhelmingly there. It provides common-sense protections for our troops…and I’m very proud to have been a small part of it.”

The bill will implement a variety of new safeguards to ensure the safety of the men and women who work at these facilities.
That would include security cameras and locks at the posts.
Another security item…weapons is already settled.

REP. MIKE CARTER “That’s already been done by executive order. They already have the right to ..the Governor took care of that very quickly. I’m very proud of him for doing that.”

REP. MARC GRAVITT, (R) EAST RIDGE “Being a veteran myself, and I’m a member of the veterans Council as well..I think its extremely important for elected officials to provide any financial assistance that we can to those that protect us..that protect themselves.”

The legislation, which passed unanimously in the House on Thursday, will be heard by the Senate Ways, and Means Committee next week.
It’s expected to move through the senate quickly.

Although weapons were officially prohibited, two service members at the Naval Center had personal firearms in their equipment.
They returned fire before police and deputies arrived and killed the man described later as a “Jihadist”.