Thanks Neon.

Why can't soldiers carry their weapons around their base or fort all the time?  Why?  Because they are on a base full of other soldiers supposedly all on the same side.  How often has something like this ever happened?  A weapon stays in the arms room only to be take out during training exercises or wartime.  As good as physicians are at checking people out while enlisting and during their enlistment could you imagine what would or could happen if soldiers ran around 24/7 with their weapon with them?  Suicide runs high in the military.  Marital problems run high in the military.  Stress is high in the military.  Drinking and alcoholism is high in the military.  Those are some valid reasons.  Even during wartime you have to watch out for the soldier starting to wig out because of sleep deprivation and the stress from being away from his family.  Wondering what the wife is doing while he is trying to fight a battle.   People don't realize the stress that military life brings out.  In basic training they try to sleep deprive you and run you ragged just to see how you pan out.  I have a hunch that the muslim took alot of sh*t from other soldiers since he was muslim.  It just happens.  Other soldiers I'm sure see a pardon me raghead everytime they looked at him and I'm sure he was well aware of that.  That is no reason for what he did.  But you never know how someone will respond.  I'm sure he is laying in bed right now wondering what went wrong.  Meaning why didn't he get killed also.

Oh....I get that there are policies that are difficult for a non-military person to understand.  I just wanted to know the rationale behind a mandatory policy.  I am not questioning the soundness of the policy......just trying to understand the basis of it.

Perhaps there are fundamental issues that must be understood first that will prevent me from fully grasping the concept.

Wuwei, I cannot explain every Army policy.  I hesitate to say this, but I'm at a loss to put it in other words:  If you haven't been in the military, there are some things that are going to be hard to understand, as a pure civilian.  Please don't rely on what you've seen in the movies.

"he knew he would be un-opposed"... that says it all.   That is why we cannot have our guns rights taken from us.   The criminals will find us all "un-opposed".

Thats why this happened.   No one had guns, except the bad guy.  Marilyn,  you say it all went down quickly and someone having a gun would have made little difference..... I so disagree.   I believe many would have been saved..

possible dangers in regards to the "sensitive" items.

Jose....your first answer wouldn't quite answer why it would be mandatory......your second answer does......but could you please elaborate on your second answer. What are the possible dangers to the "sensitive" items.

Wuwei, up till now, U.S. Army state-side posts have been considered to be safe places to be un-armed.  Besides, the Army considers firearms to be "sensitive items", and they have to be kept under the strictest security, in each company's arms room.  As far as I know, it's always been that way.  The major, though, was fully aware of that, and took full advantage of that information to shed as much infidel blood as he could during his personal jihad.  He knew he would be un-opposed, at least till he ran out of ammunition.

Why cannot soldiers (trained to carry weapons)  CARRY WEAPONS on base to protect themselves?    

Why is this so?

I would like the whole story.   Why didn't someone know about him earlier?    What did he tell his patients?   Why didnt they turn him in?    Why cannot soldiers (trained to carry weapons)  CARRY WEAPONS on base to protect themselves?    

Sicko,  he will be a hero in the jail, he will live.  No, we don't torture.  But we could give him to someone that does... like another extremist Muslim?   sounds good to me.