Gov. Nikki Haley orders armed security at SC Guard facilities

Gov. Nikki Haley ordered armed guards to protect S.C. National Guard armories, bases and recruitment centers Monday after attacks at military recruitment and reserve centers in Tennessee last month left five service members dead.

Haley’s order allows S.C. Adjutant General Robert Livingston to activate Guard members to protect facilities as well as add other security measures. The order also calls for local police departments to work with the Guard and the State Law Enforcement Division to speed up requests for concealed-weapons permits from Guard members.

Guard members now can carry concealed weapons with a permit while in uniform, spokeswoman Lt. Col. Cindi King said. But only designated and specially trained armed guards can carry weapons into armories or other Guard facilities, she said.

SLED will train Guard members to protect the state’s 70 or so armories, bases and recruitment centers, the order says.

The order comes on the heels of other measures in recent weeks — including closing gates, limiting access to facilities and increasing checkpoints and barriers, King said. For example, visitors to the Guard-operated S.C. Military Museum now must pass through an armed checkpoint rather than simply drive up to the Bluff Road museum.

The Guard will adopt other security measures, she said. “This is just one of the additional steps as we continue to look ahead at force protection. We’ll adjust and do what we need to do going forward.”

King declined to elaborate on added security measures taken. No cost estimates were released.

“Given the evolution of the threat over the past 15 years, this order by Gov. Haley allows us to take the next step of force protection for troops on U.S. soil,” Livingston said in a statement. “We are implementing changes ... that are proactive, realistic and sustainable. We will continue to take all steps necessary ensure our S.C. National Guardsmen have the proper force protection both here and abroad while they protect our citizens.”

Other states have armed their Guard members in the wake of the shootings at an Army recruiting center and a Navy and Marine Reserve center in Chattanooga, Tenn. The gunman, who traveled to Jordan last year, was killed by police.

Haley’s executive order came after she and Livingston called for a review on July 20, four days after the Tennessee killings.

The S.C. Guard has 10,000 Army and 1,200 Air Force members. About half work full time for the Guard. The rest have other jobs but serve a weekend a month and two weeks a year with the Guard.

Haley’s husband, Michael, is a captain in the S.C. National Guard. He had worked full-time with the Guard as a federal military technician until June, but he took a job recently in the private sector.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 3:30 PM.