Coming on and off post every day at Ft. Hood, YES there are certain individuals authorized to have a weapon on post. If I bring a weapon on post, it has to be registered with the provost marshall, I must declare it at the gate, and I must show paperwork and verify the serial numbers of the firearms. I am only allowed to transport them directly to the range I'm going to. You may not carry - concealed or otherwise.
At the gates, there are normally just soldiers with M9's, maybe one or two with M16's. If they have mags, they aren't inserted in the weapon. Depending on the NCO leading the gate guard, they could be issued to the individuals and in their cargo pocket, or they might be "accounted for" in the guard shack. Guard is just another extra duty for regular soldiers, and they generally get little if any training on anything beyond checking ID's and post decals.
The only people readily armed and trained on an Army installation are the MP's with loaded M9's.
Quote:I'm on DMAFB every other week,... they are armed at all gates, 24/7... and many, many other places... Full auto rifles and pistols...
On alerts,... they have trucks with 50mm guns at each gate...
M16's haven't been auto for a long time. Does the Air Force carry M249 SAW's at the gate? 50mm guns... you mean .50 cal machine guns? M2?!
Feels like overkill to me...