I spent 20 years in the Air Force, and have to say the bulk of Air Force personnel do not know how to handle a gun. Yes they have to shoot during basic, and then every four or five years. But during those times they are told every move to make, and the entire day is under such tight control, the guys are so afraid of making a mistake handling the gun that they don't soak up any of the information about safety, handling, and operating the gun. I learned to not let the M-16 instructors know I was an NRA shooting instructor. If I did let them know they looked for things to trip me up so they could yell at me. Therefore the Air Force personnel were not qualified to handle an M-16 on a daily basis. And the Air Force did not want them to anyway. Too afraid of an accidental discharge. During Viet Nam Air Force personnel were told that is what the Marines were for. The Marines guarded the base.
Now for the Army. I worked on Ft Wainwright for five years. During that time we had many accidental discharges on Post. Young single guys would go down town and buy a pistol. They would bring it back to post, but instead of taking it to the armory as directed for personnel living in the barracks, they would take it to a friends house in post housing. Then on a Friday or Saturday night, there would be a group of people there partying and someone would bring out a gun. The gun would be admired and passed around. Loaded and unloaded many times. But eventually some would pull the trigger, or drop the hammer on a live round. Bang.
I would get the call about glass, or insulation flying around in a house, usually a bedroom. I would go over and look at what the residents would show me. I would find a bullet hole in either the window or wall. By aligning bullet holes I could get a good idea of where the bullet came from. I would then call the MPs. The MPs would look at what I showed them and they would go to the quarters where the bullet had came from. During their investigation they would find out what had happened. The post Commander would repromand someone, blaming it on the fact that the troop did not understand how the gun worked. He was only trained with an M-4, not a Glock, Colt, Ruger, or S&W. So instead of getting training to prevent future accidental discharges of pistols, they would tighten up the control of guns on Post. Therefore unless they are in training, the troops are not allowed to have guns in their possession on Post. To keep one at their quarters, it has to be registered and kept unloaded in a locked case. Troops are not allowed to carry concealed off Post period.
