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Military Tells Militiamen To Buzz Off From Recruiting Centers

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Jonah Bennett Contributor
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Militiamen from all over the United States have flocked to recruitment centers, in order to stand guard and protect personnel from potential threats. But the military is telling these volunteers to leave.

Following the shooting in Chattanooga last week which left four Marines and one sailor dead, militias have gathered across the country to post armed members in front of military centers.

Members belonging to the Three Percent United Patriots of Colorado have received rebuke from the Marine Corps after guarding centers on North Academy Boulevard.

“While we greatly appreciate the support of the American public during this tragedy, we ask that citizens do not stand guard at our recruiting offices,” Marine Corps public affairs told KOAA5 in a statement. The Marine Corps seems to prefer that local law enforcement take care of security, but otherwise declined to say what sort of force protection measures it was putting place.

But for Three Percent members like Crystina Page Steinmetz, monitoring the military centers is more than just protecting against attacks in the interim. Instead, it’s about signaling support for personnel to have the right to carry arms, the same right enjoyed by private citizens.

“Our service men and women are innocent in this but they were attacked on our home turf,” Steinmetz told KOAA5. “We believe that they should be able to carry just like we do.”

It’s unclear for how long Steinmetz and Three Percent intend to stand guard.

“We’ll be here until they tell us they feel safe,” she added.

Currently, firearms are not permitted at federal recruiting centers, and although lawmakers have forwarded legislation to reverse the ban, in the meantime, militia members from Texas, Georgia, West Virginia, Ohio and Iowa intend to make up the slack.

“We will continue, until we feel perhaps the threat is gone,” Jerry Pleasant, commander of the 423rd Texas Light Foot Militia, told KLTV. “They’re always brothers in arms. Once you take that oath to the constitution to protect it against all enemies foreign and domestic. That never goes away. That does not expire until you expire.”

Pleasant says he won’t listen to requests from the military to back down.

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