Are US Military personel allowed to bring their own weapons?

PsychoAndy

Lifer
Dec 31, 2000
10,735
0
0
For example, say a Sergeant from the 101st Airborne Division wasn't satisfied with his M9, and wanted to bring a 1911 or a glock. Is that allowed?

Oh, and an unrelated question, are shotguns prohibited by the Geneva Convention?
 

ndee

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
12,680
1
0
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
For example, say a Sergeant from the 101st Airborne Division wasn't satisfied with his M9, and wanted to bring a 1911 or a glock. Is that allowed?

Oh, and an unrelated question, are shotguns prohibited by the Geneva Convention?

1. Nope.
2. Dunno.
 

n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Why would shotguns be banned? That would be one of the first things I would pick up if we got invaded.
 

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
For example, say a Sergeant from the 101st Airborne Division wasn't satisfied with his M9, and wanted to bring a 1911 or a glock. Is that allowed?

Oh, and an unrelated question, are shotguns prohibited by the Geneva Convention?

IIRC we used shotguns in Vietnam, so I dont think they are banned.

For the first question, I dont think they are allowed.
 

Colt45

Lifer
Apr 18, 2001
19,720
1
0
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Why would shotguns be banned? That would be one of the first things I would pick up if we got invaded.

why are hollowpoints banned?


just because it kills good doesnt mean it.. i dont know
 

PsychoAndy

Lifer
Dec 31, 2000
10,735
0
0
Originally posted by: Colt45
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Why would shotguns be banned? That would be one of the first things I would pick up if we got invaded.

why are hollowpoints banned?

just because it kills good doesnt mean it.. i dont know
Welp, I'd think that buckshot makes a nastier wound than a bullet, so I'm thinking that they might have banned it. The only pics i've seen of shotguns being used are for security.

But I digress...what about special forces? Can they bring their own guns, or do they have to be issued out?
 

Codewiz

Diamond Member
Jan 23, 2002
5,758
0
76
Originally posted by: Colt45
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey Why would shotguns be banned? That would be one of the first things I would pick up if we got invaded.
why are hollowpoints banned? just because it kills good doesnt mean it.. i dont know

Because they create NASTY wounds that do not serve a purpose. The purpose of war is not to kill everyone. It is to defeat your opponent. Shooting soldiers with full metal jackets takes them out of commission so they are no longer fighting. Why do we need to use hollow point ammo? The ONLY purpose hollow points serve is to cause the most damage to the body.

BTW full metal jacket ammo is more likely to pierce armor and such.

A shotgun is not going to be effective at a long distance. That is why they are legal. At close range with a shotgun you are either going to kill someone or not. The wounds would not be as bad as a hollow point. If the shotgun doesn't kill the person then it is likely that the person won't have a wound that is hard to deal with.

At 100 yards you can nail someone with a hollow point and do way too much damage.
 

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
Originally posted by: Colt45
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Why would shotguns be banned? That would be one of the first things I would pick up if we got invaded.

why are hollowpoints banned?

just because it kills good doesnt mean it.. i dont know
Welp, I'd think that buckshot makes a nastier wound than a bullet, so I'm thinking that they might have banned it. The only pics i've seen of shotguns being used are for security.

But I digress...what about special forces? Can they bring their own guns, or do they have to be issued out?

Actually, now that I think of it, my cousin carried a shotgun while on embassy duty in Japan (he was a Marine). So, the US military does use them. On a side note, my cousin volunteered to be the guy lugging the shotgun around all the time. Apparently it was made policy that the marines guarding the embassy could not unholster their pistols until they were actually fired at (so if a man with a gun approached the gate they could not even draw their guns). But, they dont use holsters for shotguns :D

AFAIK, special forces can have their pick out of just about everything we have in the inventory.
 

I believe that Officers get to choose from a 9mm and a .45. The .45 must be provided by the officer.
 

jemcam

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2001
3,676
0
0
Nope and nope.

For anyone saying shotguns are illegal, can you care to explain to me why every arms room that I've been in has 12 ga. pumps?

As far as issuing a 9mm vs. bringing your own .45, LOL! You have to use the weapon that you qualify with and is issued to you.

Yes, I know it for a fact, I was a US Army officer myself.
 

Jmmsbnd007

Diamond Member
May 29, 2002
3,286
0
0
Originally posted by: Colt45
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Why would shotguns be banned? That would be one of the first things I would pick up if we got invaded.

why are hollowpoints banned?


just because it kills good doesnt mean it.. i dont know
You're supposted to make the guy bleed to death...
 

n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Originally posted by: Colt45
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Why would shotguns be banned? That would be one of the first things I would pick up if we got invaded.

why are hollowpoints banned?


just because it kills good doesnt mean it.. i dont know

I really didn't know. I try not to pay attention to too many tools. (tools meaning guns in this case :))
 

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
Originally posted by: jemcam
Nope and nope.

For anyone saying shotguns are illegal, can you care to explain to me why every arms room that I've been in has 12 ga. pumps?

As far as issuing a 9mm vs. bringing your own .45, LOL! You have to use the weapon that you qualify with and is issued to you.

Yes, I know it for a fact, I was a US Army officer myself.

OOC, what are the chances that a senior NCO would bring in a personal weapon unofficially? I've heard one or two Vietnam vets talk about bringing in a pistol or a shotgun against regs, but then that is 30 years ago
 

jemcam

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2001
3,676
0
0
Originally posted by: Mookow
Originally posted by: jemcam
Nope and nope.

For anyone saying shotguns are illegal, can you care to explain to me why every arms room that I've been in has 12 ga. pumps?

As far as issuing a 9mm vs. bringing your own .45, LOL! You have to use the weapon that you qualify with and is issued to you.

Yes, I know it for a fact, I was a US Army officer myself.

OOC, what are the chances that a senior NCO would bring in a personal weapon unofficially? I've heard one or two Vietnam vets talk about bringing in a pistol or a shotgun against regs, but then that is 30 years ago

It's possible, but I don't see the reason behind it. If you got caught you would certainly face disciplinary aciton. A professional soldier wouldn't do something like that. I don't see the reasoning behind it. The issued weapons perform just fine when you are trained in how to use them and you maintain them properly.
 

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
Originally posted by: jemcam
Originally posted by: Mookow
Originally posted by: jemcam
Nope and nope.

For anyone saying shotguns are illegal, can you care to explain to me why every arms room that I've been in has 12 ga. pumps?

As far as issuing a 9mm vs. bringing your own .45, LOL! You have to use the weapon that you qualify with and is issued to you.

Yes, I know it for a fact, I was a US Army officer myself.

OOC, what are the chances that a senior NCO would bring in a personal weapon unofficially? I've heard one or two Vietnam vets talk about bringing in a pistol or a shotgun against regs, but then that is 30 years ago

It's possible, but I don't see the reason behind it. If you got caught you would certainly face disciplinary aciton. A professional soldier wouldn't do something like that. I don't see the reasoning behind it. The issued weapons perform just fine when you are trained in how to use them and you maintain them properly.

Ehhh, it could have just been that in Vietnam you had the rocky introduction of the M-16, thus making soldiers want to have a backup weapon in case their rifle jammed.
 

Zugzwang152

Lifer
Oct 30, 2001
12,134
1
0
soldiers already carry around what, 50 pounds of equipment...why would they want to lug around 10-20 pounds MORE of ammo for their personal weapon? Plus, what happens when their ammo runs out, resupply lines are gonna go into their closet at home and pick up their favorite brand of bullet? no, they're gonna bring in truckloads of standard ammo, that everyone has.
 

Nitemare

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
35,461
4
81
Have to bring your own ammo as well then.

Would be kind of f'ed up if you were surrounded by enemies had your trusty Glock with a whole case of ammo that would not fit it.
 

Sundog

Lifer
Nov 20, 2000
12,342
1
0
Ummm...the answer is very simple---->ammunition

If everyone was allowed to bring their own weapon then think of how many types of ammo there would be. Who is going to supply all the different types?

Is much simper to have everyone using the same types of ammo. Supply is the key, and is much easier with standardized ammo types.
 

UNCjigga

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
25,715
10,471
136
For counter-terrorism units, the way it works is when going into combat, you are issued $1500 weapons allowance. You get more money based on rank, kill ratio and previous successful missions. Then you can buy pretty much anything you want!

;)
 

jemcam

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2001
3,676
0
0
Originally posted by: Mookow
Originally posted by: jemcam
Originally posted by: Mookow
Originally posted by: jemcam
Nope and nope.

For anyone saying shotguns are illegal, can you care to explain to me why every arms room that I've been in has 12 ga. pumps?

As far as issuing a 9mm vs. bringing your own .45, LOL! You have to use the weapon that you qualify with and is issued to you.

Yes, I know it for a fact, I was a US Army officer myself.

OOC, what are the chances that a senior NCO would bring in a personal weapon unofficially? I've heard one or two Vietnam vets talk about bringing in a pistol or a shotgun against regs, but then that is 30 years ago

It's possible, but I don't see the reason behind it. If you got caught you would certainly face disciplinary aciton. A professional soldier wouldn't do something like that. I don't see the reasoning behind it. The issued weapons perform just fine when you are trained in how to use them and you maintain them properly.

Ehhh, it could have just been that in Vietnam you had the rocky introduction of the M-16, thus making soldiers want to have a backup weapon in case their rifle jammed.

I'm not saying it didn't happen, but even that theory doesn't hold water with me. It takes less time to clear a jam in an M16 than it would take to reach for another weapon hidden on your person and aim it. And even then, you would have had to somehow procure the ammo for a non-NATO round. There's no shortages of weapons on a battlefield, no need to bring your own IMO.
 

Cyberian

Diamond Member
Jun 17, 2000
9,999
1
0
Originally posted by: jemcam
Nope and nope.

For anyone saying shotguns are illegal, can you care to explain to me why every arms room that I've been in has 12 ga. pumps?


Yes, I know it for a fact, I was a US Army officer myself.
Sounds right to me.
I qualified with a "riot control weapon" (shotgun) during 'Nam.

 

Sundog

Lifer
Nov 20, 2000
12,342
1
0
Originally posted by: jemcam
Originally posted by: Mookow
Originally posted by: jemcam
Originally posted by: Mookow
Originally posted by: jemcam
Nope and nope.

For anyone saying shotguns are illegal, can you care to explain to me why every arms room that I've been in has 12 ga. pumps?

As far as issuing a 9mm vs. bringing your own .45, LOL! You have to use the weapon that you qualify with and is issued to you.

Yes, I know it for a fact, I was a US Army officer myself.

OOC, what are the chances that a senior NCO would bring in a personal weapon unofficially? I've heard one or two Vietnam vets talk about bringing in a pistol or a shotgun against regs, but then that is 30 years ago

It's possible, but I don't see the reason behind it. If you got caught you would certainly face disciplinary aciton. A professional soldier wouldn't do something like that. I don't see the reasoning behind it. The issued weapons perform just fine when you are trained in how to use them and you maintain them properly.

Ehhh, it could have just been that in Vietnam you had the rocky introduction of the M-16, thus making soldiers want to have a backup weapon in case their rifle jammed.

I'm not saying it didn't happen, but even that theory doesn't hold water with me. It takes less time to clear a jam in an M16 than it would take to reach for another weapon hidden on your person and aim it. And even then, you would have had to somehow procure the ammo for a non-NATO round. There's no shortages of weapons on a battlefield, no need to bring your own IMO.

My father-in-law and uncle have told me that in Vietnam they hated the M-16, and everyone would grab an older M-14 when given the chance.

<Edit> corrected the M-14 reference

 

jteef

Golden Member
Feb 20, 2001
1,355
0
76
I think personal backup weapons were fairly common in vietnam, at least among pilots. Thats the impression I got from a few books about it.
 

jemcam

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2001
3,676
0
0
Originally posted by: Cyberian
Originally posted by: jemcam
Nope and nope.

For anyone saying shotguns are illegal, can you care to explain to me why every arms room that I've been in has 12 ga. pumps?


Yes, I know it for a fact, I was a US Army officer myself.
Sounds right to me.
I qualified with a "riot control weapon" (shotgun) during 'Nam.


Did they teach you the trick about shooting at the pavement about 20 feet in front of the crowd, so as to get the buckshot to spread out more?