Shooting at Pensacola Naval base

[DaveTN]

This base is open to the public. It has the worlds third largest Air Museum, a National Cemetery and is home to the Blue Angles.

 So any thoughts any of us that were in the military have about base security and going on base….this ain’t like that.

[Omega]

10 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

This base is open to the public. It has the worlds third largest Air Museum, a National Cemetery and is home to the Blue Angles.

 So any thoughts any of us that were in the military have about base security and going on base….this ain’t like that.

All, or at least most, bases are open to the public, all you have to do is show your drivers licence, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.  They do, now, perform a quick check based of of the drivers licence but it is far from perfect.  Here at Ft Campbell, they are constantly getting drive throughs so the entire base goes on lockdown, I never understood why they don't activate the vehicle interdiction devices.

[DaveTN]

10 minutes ago, Omega said:

All, or at least most, bases are open to the public, all you have to do is show your drivers licence, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.  They do, now, perform a quick check based of of the drivers licence but it is far from perfect.  Here at Ft Campbell, they are constantly getting drive throughs so the entire base goes on lockdown, I never understood why they don't activate the vehicle interdiction devices.

I didn’t know that. A few years ago, I tried to go onto the Naval Base at Norfolk where I had been homeported in the 70’s. The only way I could get on the base was on a tour.

[Grunt67]

2 hours ago, Omega said:

All, or at least most, bases are open to the public, all you have to do is show your drivers licence, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.  They do, now, perform a quick check based of of the drivers licence but it is far from perfect.  Here at Ft Campbell, they are constantly getting drive throughs so the entire base goes on lockdown, I never understood why they don't activate the vehicle interdiction devices.

All true. A week or so ago, they locked it down when a vehicle buzzed thru without stopping.

Security does change tho depending on circumstances, threats ( perceived or real ). Never know quite what you're going to get when you go. I'm an hour & half away, so I'm not there often, maybe once or twice a yr. You being next door, you probably have a better handle on things at the moment.

[Dirtshooter]

Well I wasn't aware that we had mall cops at the base checkpoints, why would we hire mall cops when we have an armed military police?? My daughter and family went to see the Blue Angels at this base about a month or so ago, my SIL who is retired Air Force and has his CCW opted to leave his carry gun in his truck, they were in a different vehicle. My daughter said they were very strict as to what you could or couldn't take and it wasn't much, but that was to get into area to see the planes. Maybe if you are from Saudi Arabia you get special treatment who knows. For those in the know, do we have mall cops guarding us at night while we sleep? If so I will start sleeping with 1 eye open and a gun in my hand.

Edited December 11, 2019 by Dirtshooter

[DaveTN]

12 minutes ago, Dirtshooter said:

Well I wasn't aware that we had mall cops at the base checkpoints, why would we hire mall cops when we have an armed military police?? 

Many bases have gone to civilian security on the gates. As someone that has been both a Military Police Officer and a Civilian Police Officer, I would guess part of that could be because folks find out real fast they aren’t going to talk to an MP the way they talk to a Cop.

That and it also makes for a bigger Federal Government. I assume these civilian gate guards are some type of Federal job??

12 minutes ago, Dirtshooter said:

 For those in the know, do we have mall cops guarding us at night while we sleep? If so I will start sleeping with 1 eye open and a gun in my hand.

Not unless you sleep at the Mall.

You have real cops protecting you. As far as keeping an eye open….just know that when you need those cops immediately…they are only a few minutes away. 

 

[Dirtshooter]

Well I did a little more research and it appears that the shooter legally purchased the Glock handgun in Florida because he possessed a FLorida hunting license, which I find crazy as he isn't a U.S. citizen or resident?? FBI is tight lipped.

[Grunt67]

9 minutes ago, Dirtshooter said:

Well I did a little more research and it appears that the shooter legally purchased the Glock handgun in Florida because he possessed a FLorida hunting license, which I find crazy as he isn't a U.S. citizen or resident?? FBI is tight lipped.

No doubt they find the loopholes in the system. Strange the hunting license did the trick, but apparently so. I have a Lifetime hunt/fish license as a Disabled Vet. Maybe I can convert my HCP to lifetime with that. Of course, I'm not in Fla.

[DaveTN]

They talk about “Loophole” like it is something illegal, and want to know if the gun store got the bulletin from the FBI?? What if they did?

The law allowed what this guy did; not the gun store.

Quote

 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pensacola-shooter-gun-loophole-fbi_n_5df00980e4b01a1f411e045a

WASHINGTON —  More than six months before the Dec. 6 shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida where a Saudi gunman used a weapon obtained using a hunting license exemption, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a report warning about precisely this loophole. 

The FBI warning, dated May 22 and titled “Federal Hunting License Exception Could Be Exploited by Extremists or Criminal Actors Seeking to Obtain Firearms for Violent Attacks,” was sent from the bureau’s Office of Private Sector, according to a copy reviewed by Yahoo News. The warning encouraged businesses to be aware that “that extremists and other criminal actors could exploit the federal statutory exception that allows non-immigrant visa holders” who normally can’t buy firearms or ammunition to legally purchase them “with a valid hunting license or permit.”

The warning goes on to note that foreign “terrorist organizations, including ISIS, have encouraged Westerners to exploit perceived gaps in gun laws to conduct mass casualty shooting attacks in their home countries,” and that foreign national visa-holders “could use this hunting license exception to obtain firearms to commit violence in the Homeland.”

This warning is strikingly similar to the circumstances surrounding the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola where a Saudi national named Mohammed Alshamrani killed three people and wounded eight others. Alshamrani, who was killed by law enforcement at the scene, was identified by the FBI on Dec. 7, the day after the shooting, as a 21-year-old second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force who was attending a training program at the Navy facility. 

Alshamrani, who the FBI confirmed Tuesday had used the hunting license exemption to purchase a firearm, reportedly posted Tweets just prior to the shooting that appeared to reflect the writings of terrorist organizations, like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. 

A woman who answered the phone at Uber’s Lock and Gun, the Pensacola retailer that reportedly sold the gun to Alshamrani, declined to comment on whether the store received the bulletin from the FBI. Two other Florida gun retailers told Yahoo News they had not received the FBI report and were unaware of the bureau’s Office of Private Sector. The owner of a third Florida gun shop told Yahoo News he does receive bulletins from the FBI office, but he could not recall the report on the hunting license loophole.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Rachel Rojas, who is leading the investigation, told reporters on Sunday that Alshamrani carried out the shooting using a Glock 9mm pistol that was “legally and lawfully purchased.” Nonresident immigrants can purchase handguns in Florida provided they meet certain exceptions including possessing a valid hunting license or if they work as a representative of a foreign government or law enforcement agency. 

The FBI referred questions about how Alshamrani obtained his gun to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. A spokesperson for the ATF confirmed it was a “legal sale,” but would not provide details on how Alshamrani qualified to purchase the weapon.

An FBI spokesperson told Yahoo News that the Pensacola shooter legally bought the 9mm Glock on July 20. The FBI also confirmed the shooter used a valid Florida hunting license to purchase the weapon, although “he may have qualified under other exceptions as well.” 

NBC News first reported that he bought his weapon through the hunting license loophole. 

During a press conference on Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Alshamrani was able to buy the firearm because of “a federal loophole that he took advantage of.”

Helen Aguirre Ferre, a spokesperson for the governor, said DeSantis is now pushing for changes to all of the loopholes that allow foreigners to purchase firearms in the U.S. 

“The Governor has made clear that he is a strong proponent of the Second Amendment for United States citizens but foreign nationals need to be treated differently,” Ferre said. “Governor DeSantis is advocating federal partners to require, at a minimum,  improved vetting by both the U.S. and foreign governments.”

“The tragedy at Naval Air Station Pensacola could have been avoided and that is more than regrettable,” she added. 

The FBI report about the hunting license loophole was directed to “participating organizations” who receive briefings on relevant issues. The FBI declined to comment on where the hunting license loophole report was distributed and whether it went to the business that sold Alshamrani the weapon involved in the shooting. A Navy spokesperson referred all questions about Alshamrani’s possible motives and how he obtained his weapons to the FBI.

In her comments on Sunday, Rojas, the FBI agent in charge of the case, said the bureau is operating with “the presumption that this was an act of terrorism.” Alshamrani has been linked to social media posts that criticized the U.S. for its support of Israel and military operations in Muslim countries. 

The FBI notice from May that warned of foreign extremists exploiting the hunting license loophole also provided a list of other “potential indicators of criminal activity related to Firearms Shops and Ranges,” such as references to foreign terrorist organizations. It encouraged recipients to take action including potentially declining firearms transactions and documenting information about the person involved.

“If you believe there is an imminent threat, contact your local police as soon as it is safe to do so,” the report said.

 

 

[Dirtshooter]

19 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

“If you believe there is an imminent threat, contact your local police as soon as it is safe to do so,” the report said

Doesn't this quote from the FBI make you feel so much safer?? Unbelievable.

[DaveTN]

2 hours ago, Dirtshooter said:

Doesn't this quote from the FBI make you feel so much safer?? Unbelievable.

I don’t know. But the calls for changes in the law so that foreign nationals can’t buy guns here while we are training them in military fighter aircraft is unbelievable. Or at least ridiculous.

[Chucktshoes]

1 hour ago, DaveTN said:

I don’t know. But the calls for changes in the law so that foreign nationals can’t buy guns here while we are training them in military fighter aircraft is unbelievable. Or at least ridiculous.

How about we stop both?

[Chucktshoes]

WASHINGTON - Attorney General William Barr said Monday that the Saudi Arabian shooter at Naval Air Station Pensacola was "motivated by Jihadist ideology."

Barr says 21 Saudi military students are being removed from the US training program and returning home.

Barr and FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich announced the findings of the criminal investigation in a press conference at the Department of Justice.  

Accused shooter 21-year-old Mohammed Alshamrani, a 2nd LT in the Royal Saudi Air Force, allegedly killed three U.S. sailors and injured several others. Authorities say the attack ended with a sheriff’s deputy killing the shooter.

Many of the 21 cadets being sent home had contact with child pornography and possessed jihadist or anti-American material, Barr said. None is accused of having advanced knowledge of the shooting, which Barr said was motivated by “jihadist ideology” and has been classified as an act of terrorism.

Officials have said Alshamrani hosted a party before the shooting, where he and others watched videos of mass shootings. The gunman had also apparently taken to Twitter before the shooting to criticize U.S. support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-Muslim, another U.S. official told the AP last month.

http://weartv.com/news/local/us-sending-home-21-saudi-cadets-pensacola-nas-shooting-an-act-of-terrorism