Jerry Blakeney stands guard with other volunteers outside a US military recruiting station in Cleburne, Texas
Armed civilians who have been guarding a military recruitment centres across the US in the wake of the mass shooting in Chattanooga, have been asked to go home.
One man was charged with a misdemeanour after accidentally discharging an AR-15 rifle outside a recruiting centre in the River Valley Mall in Lancaster at around noon.
Although there were no injuries, the owners of the mall ordered the volunteers to leave shortly after the incident.
Civilians have volunteered to stand guard outside recruiting centers since the July 16 shooting at a military reserve centre and a nearby recruiting center in Chattanooga. Among those killed were four Marines, a member of the Navy and the gunman, Mohammod Abdulazeez. Two people were wounded.
“Government ain’t going to do it,” said Kenneth Casteel, a 67-year-old Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam and sat in a folding chair with his M-16 rifle propped against it. “They won’t give these guys any weapons to carry or keep in a safe. If we don’t do it, who is going to do it? It’s a matter of safety.”
The Pentagon said in a statement that it took the safety of its enlisted and civilian personnel “very seriously” and that Defense Secretary Ash Carter was reviewing recommendations to improve security at all facilities, including recruiting stations.
The presence of armed civilians, it said, might cause safety problems. “While we greatly appreciate the outpouring of support for our recruiters from the American public, we ask that individuals not stand guard at recruiting offices as it could adversely impact our mission, and potentially create unintended security risks,” said Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary.