Henry Rifle Forums

CAFB (Columbus, MS AFB) Base Exchange (BX) has finally become a FFL, and will be selling a full range of guns, ammo, and accessories starting this coming March. Talked to the BX manager today. They have a few details to work out, but expect to be open for business sometime in March. They will be an FFL, not a concessionaire, so no fee for NICS. Also no sales tax. No shipping charge either, if you buy something from the AAFES On-Line site and pick up at the CAFB BX.

The Base CO still has the final say about transporting private firearms on base, but they expect you'll have to be escorted out the BX door, but not all the way out the gate, so that may lead to the ability to have your gun in your car whenever you are on base, which would be good. You won't be able to buy a gun and ammo at the same time, but that might change.

Prices will likely be competitive with the local economy, so I don't expect any huge savings from the BX.

Not perfect, but all in all, things are looking up.

That is interesting. Our local Army post here has the PX and I wonder if they will be selling guns?
Sounds like a good deal!

fortyshooter wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 14, 2020 4:56 pm

That is interesting. Our local Army post here has the PX and I wonder if they will be selling guns?
Sounds like a good deal!

From my talk with the BX manager, that's very possible. They've been talking with other bases, and getting good reports on this so I think it will spread to other small bases - Army, Navy, Marine, AF, etc. The big installations already sell firearms and ammo in most cases.

My hope is that this leads to generally fewer restrictions regarding personal firearms on military installations. Not that I expect to see people walking around strapped on base, but maybe we'll at least be able to have our weapon secured in the car. That's been tried on a few bases over the last 3 years or so with no problems I'm aware of.

That is good to hear. I've wondered how military personnel who live on base were able to participate in shooting sports. I believe all military personnel who want to should be able to have private firearms for sporting purposees.

Thank you to all who are serving now or have ever served.

TMB wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:51 am

That is good to hear. I've wondered how military personnel who live on base were able to participate in shooting sports. I believe all military personnel who want to should be able to have private firearms for sporting purposees.

Thank you to all who are serving now or have ever served.

Generally speaking for any military installation, married personnel living in base housing are allowed to keep their firearms in the home, and therefore transport them on and off the base. Some bases also have ranges that are available. I've lived in base housing at a couple different duty stations when I was active duty and it was never a problem.

The rules are different for single men and women living in quarters. They normally have to store their personal firearms in the on base armory or off base. If in the armory, they can check them out at any time, but some commands require them to be escorted to the gate.

That said, there are often significant differences between the services and between installations. The installation commander has total control over the entire business of personal firearms under his command. The Base CO is God inside the fence. He can grant concealed and/or open carry to anyone, or forbid anyone from having a firearm on base at all. This leads to a lot of confusion and contradictory rules that can be very frustrating, especially since Commanding officers are rotated/relieved every year or 2 in many cases. So the new guy can change the rules that were in place with his predecessor or leave them as they were.

Civilians rarely understand that the military is not a Democracy or a Republic. It is a straight up Dictatorship that serves this Republic. And that's the way it has to be if it's to be an effective fighting force.

Our local AFB started selling guns a couple years ago. I understand they recently instituted new, less restrictive, regs for transporting guns on base. The rules used to be you could purchase a gun at the BX and then transport it, with certain restrictions as to how it was stored in the vehicle, immediately off base, or to your residence or armory, if you lived on base. This is a one time flight authorization, not permission to carry one on base all the time.

Most prices are not a significant savings over local guns stores. Sometimes a sale, coupled with no sales tax, makes them a better deal. I rarely see someone in the process of purchasing a gun there. Palmetto State Armory normally has 4 or 5 people in the process of purchasing every time I go in.

And yes, they sell Henrys.

Fort Shaw in SC sells firearms in their BX, I was in there year before last when we were out there visiting the Daughter and SIL.
I can't remember much about the inventory, pretty sure there weren't any lever guns, ammo was reasonable.
No idea of what their policies were either.

RP

Virginia is in the process of attempting to institute a massive violation of the 2A. But... Several years ago, there was a shooting in one of the officer barracks at Quantico. It involved two students attending classs aboard the base and was domestic related.

Prior to that incident, you were allowed to transport/store unloaded/secured firearms in your vehicle on the base, as long as the ammo was stored separately. Immediately following the incident, the base commander changed the policy. Non-residents (base housing) could no longer transport firearms on base.

So, if you drove to the base from out of state to attend training, and were staying several weeks, you were not able to bring a firearm to protect yourself on the drive down and back, unless you were staying off base with secure storage for the firearm. The last time I checked the rules hadn't changed.

NAS Pensacola had the same rules in effect the last time we drove down. Luckily, we were able to store our firearms at my father's place, so he could give us a base tour.

Among other guns my Henry H001 was purchased from The Exchange; aka PX, AAFES. Process each time was about an hour, after which a "Supervisor" carried the firearm until we were out of the store, then it was handed to me.

The last time I was in FT. Campbell,KY, PX, they sold ammo, bought a couple of boxes of 9mm, cheap. Can't recall about any guns.
Gotta get back up there, About an hour & 1/2 from me.