Republican Gov. Bill Haslam
NASHVILLE — Tennessee has temporarily relocated all seven of its National Guard storefront recruiting offices to armories and is now accelerating handgun-carry permit applications for Guard members after last week’s shooting attack in which five U.S. servicemen were gunned down at the U.S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center in Chattanooga.
Among centers moved was one located in the same Lee Highway strip mall where authorities say 24-year-old Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez began his deadly shooting spree.
The move by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam came after a number of states on Friday and Saturday began ordering changes to their National Guard operations, part of a national reaction to the Chattanooga attack. The governor’s office said Saturday in response to a Times Free Press inquiry there would be a review, then, amid some criticism, he announced more concrete plans Sunday.
The administration said in a news release Wednesday that storefront state recruitment centers began moving Monday.
“We have to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to ensure the security of our guardsmen after what happened in Chattanooga,” Haslam said in a statement. “We’re continuing our review to determine the very best long-term security measures, but immediate efforts to re-position soldiers and help them arm themselves are appropriate next steps.”