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Governor Orders More Security, Guns At Indiana National Guard Locations

Governor Mike Pence has ordered enhanced security measures for Indiana’s National Guard in the wake of a shooting at a military installation in Chattanooga. 

Pence’s executive order directs the new head of the Indiana National Guard, Major General Courtney Carr, to work with the State Police, Homeland Security, and local law enforcement to beef up security at all National Guard facilities across the state, including recruiting storefronts. 

That includes arming military personnel at those locations. National Guard spokesperson Cathy Van Bree says fully developing the new security measures will be a deliberative process…and she notes the new concealed-carry policy won’t apply everywhere.

“Servicemembers will not be allowed to carry in currently restricted areas anyway, such as schools – like, recruiters will not be able to conceal-carry within high schools,” she says.

In a statement, Pence says he gave the order to arm National Guard personnel because he won’t allow what he calls Indiana’s “citizen-soldiers” to remain unable to defend themselves.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.