Army says recruiters should treat armed civilians as security threat

WASHINGTON – The Army has issued a warning to recruiters to treat armed civilians stationing themselves outside centers as a security threat.

A report from Stars and Stripes cites a U.S. Army Recruiting Command letter that says soldiers should “avoid anyone standing outside the centers attempting to offer protection and report them to local law enforcement and the command if they feel threatened.”

Armed citizens have taken up posts outside recruiting centers across the country in the wake of the shooting in Chattanooga.

The Montgomery County Chapter of the Oath Keepers are among those who have offered support to protect Clarksville’s Army Career Center at 3031 Wilma Rudolph Blvd.

“I’m sure the citizens mean well, but we cannot assume this in every case and we do not want to advocate this behavior,” according to the Army Command Operations Center-Security Division letter, which was authenticated by the service.

The Associated Press reports that an armed civilian accidentally fired a shot from an AR-15 rifle outside a military recruiting center in Ohio Thursday, but no one was hurt.

Police in Lancaster say 28-year-old Christopher Reed was holding the rifle outside the center on Thursday when someone asked to look at the weapon. While Reed was clearing the ammunition from the rifle, he accidentally fired a shot into the pavement.

Reed was given a summons to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge. A call to a number listed in the police report rang unanswered.

RELATED CONTENT Volunteers vow to protect military recruiting centers