Can Military Personnel Take Weapons Home?
Read what Regulations actually authorize, not what your buddy or leadership says.
Yes, military personnel can take weapons home, at least under certain, specific circumstances. Regulations allow for military personnel to borrow unit-owned weapons and participate in marksmanship events beyond qualification.
As a member of a formal military marksmanship team, I had U.S. Army weapons issued directly to me for about two decades for training and competitions. I stored these weapons locally (not in a military arms room) and sometimes even in my home. I frequently traveled with these weapons in personally-owned conveyance (my car) and via commercial transportation, having traveled to most Army posts with ranges and to several other countries via commercial flights. All of this is formally authorized in published regulations.
AR 190–11 (Physical Security of Arms, Ammunition, and Explosives) directs how Soldiers can check out unit weapons like this:
Chapter 4, Protection of Arms
4–6. Weapons and ammunition for marksmanship matches and other special purposes
d. Exceptions for marksmanship weapons are authorized for ARNG, USAR, and ROTC marksmanship personnel when firing as persons away from their teams.
Exception criteria are as follows:
(1) Eligibility is limited to persons who are active members representing an ARNG, ROTC region, a major USAR command, or higher–level team.
(2) Exceptions will be held to a minimum. Each written request for exception will include a statement that other secure facilities are not available. Each request will outline compensatory measures to be applied. If weapons are to be stored in private homes, the weapons will be secured in a locked, metal container. The container will not be prominently displayed. It will be secured to a firm structure in the home.
(3) Arms used during matches or practice away from the facility and not secured will be stored under b, above.
(4) All requests will be submitted through command channels to PMG.
TL;DR/BLUF: Commanders of any unit with an arms room are authorized to allow any of their Soldiers to take unit-issue weapons out for marksmanship competitions, events, and training, even to civilian ranges and transported in civilian vehicles. If not stored in a military arms room or similar, they can be secured by having at least one designated Soldier guard them by staying in the vehicle or room with the weapons at all times until stored in a military arms room.
Personnel formally assigned to a marksmanship team such as ROTC, state-level National Guard or higher, or Army Reserve MACOM (Major Command) or higher may have military-owned weapons issued directly to them. These can be secured locally (police station or similar) or at home if properly secured as detailed in AR 190–11 and confirmed by written permission with the shooting Team OIC/commander. A hand receipt will be signed and submitted by the Soldier to the Team OIC every month to confirm the issued weapons are still secured.
Most Army personnel are ignorant of what regulations and doctrine actually say, particularly regarding marksmanship and weapons training. Most are not good marksmen/shooters and have never been involved in higher-level marksmanship events. The majority of military personnel never progress beyond initial, novice levels as found in qualifications. Hint: personnel boasting about their shooting skill because they “qualified expert” are almost always novices because good shooters know better.
Commanders will be blamed for any misdeed by their subordinates even if it was not their fault, so most commanders default to the most restrictive approach: “Keep them all locked up!” The toxic nature of Army leadership culture tends to sow mistrust of subordinates and the default is to disallow everything. Of course, there is no shortage of examples of irresponsible and idiotic subordinates to reinforce that mistrust.
If your unit has an arms room but does not have a marksmanship team, that is your fault. Knowing what the regulation actually says probably won't convince your commander, but it might help.
Think the money for division marksmanship teams dried up after desert storm. AMU at Benning had the funds and brain trust to do 3 gun and make SDMRs for a few units.
Going back to the late 80s and early 90s, we were also allowed to take the home and in POVs when we were in an on-call status. In my particular job, we were on-call a couple of days at a time. It wasn't uncommon to sign out a pistol for a week at a time.