Sen. Rick Scott calls for military officers to be allowed to carry guns on bases

Less than two weeks after a deadly attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is calling on military officers to be allowed to carry guns on military bases.

"It defies logic that our men and women in uniform, who we train to operate multi-million dollar pieces of military equipment and trust to keep our country safe, are not allowed to carry firearms on U.S. military bases," Scott said in a press release. "It’s time for this policy to change."

A Saudi Arabian aviation student shot and killed three people and wounded eight others Dec. 6 at NAS Pensacola. The shooter was confronted by Navy police and then by deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, who shot and killed him. Details on the exact timeline of events have not been confirmed by officials as the FBI says the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

The FBI announced Tuesday it had completed its search for physical evidence in the shooting and had turned the building back over to the Navy.

Scott said he made the statement Tuesday after Fox News reported that dozens of U.S. Navy pilots were mounting an effort to write lawmakers and military commanders to ask that pilots be allowed to carry weapons on military bases. The Fox News story did not name the letter's authors because they were not authorized to speak with the press, but said they included two Navy instructor pilots from NAS Pensacola.

The letter calls for the repeal of Department of Defense regulations put in place in 1992, with the authors saying it has caused military bases to become "soft targets."

At a press conference two days after the shooting at NAS Pensacola, Rear Adm. Gary Mayes, commander of Navy Region Southeast, was asked about allowing service members to bring guns on base. He responded by stating the military's policy on firearms.

"Our biggest primary focus is the safety of the base, and we have rules to maintain that safety," Mayes said. "And guns are prohibited on the installation without prior approval."

Scott said he would push for a policy change.

"The terrorist attack at NAS Pensacola shows that it’s more important than ever for our men and women in uniform to be in a position to defend themselves," Scott said. "I will work with the leadership of the Armed Services Committees and the Department of Defense to see what needs to be done to change this policy and allow military officers to carry firearms on U.S. military bases."

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.