The man who preferred not to disclose his identity said he wanted to make a statement of protest on his day off on Friday.
“People need to call their congressmen, they need to call their senators, and they need to change the laws on the books so these guys can protect themselves,” he told WTTG-TV, referring to military recruitment centers’ employees, who are not allowed to carry weapons at work.
That was one of the reasons four Marines and one sailor being killed on a similar recruitment base in Tennessee July 16th.
Virginia man with AR-15 stands watch over recruitment centers after Chattanooga mass murder attack http://t.co/mdGDC7IdHf
— Merv Benson (@PrairiePundit) July 18, 2015
Employees were grateful for such symbolic support but it was also much more as he kept his gun loaded.
“I went into each office, the ones that were open, and I was received with handshakes and thank yous,” the unnamed armed man said. “They constantly came by, and not only them, but their wives came by in tears thanking me for just being out here. They baked cookies for me and brought lunch by.”
The Virginia vigilante was carrying a fully-loaded AR-15 automatic rifle that was cleared during the day by the police. Carrying weapons openly is legal in Virginia.
Initially, gun-free zones on US military facilities were applied during Bill Clinton’s first term as one of his primary acts on entering the office.
Oklahoma Republican Governor Mary Fallin authorized arming of military personnel at certain military facilities in the state on Friday and Indiana Republican Governor Mike Pence called for the same at National Guard recruiting stations.
