Originally Posted by
Bearcat06
The ones at MCI were.....
The ones at MCI worked there (along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Airport LEOs) based on a Governor order. If Jay (Current MO Gov) wanted them to be there....he could certainly call them up and do it.
Yes they can in certain circumstances.
Regarding Kansas City, you confirmed, at the time, that they did have live ammo in their magazines, and the ready to fire without needing to pull the charging handle first? From what I saw, they had a clip of live rounds in a pocket, with probably an empty clip - or one with just a few rounds - in the rifle. And they were never locked and ready to fire.
As far as the governor sending Guardsmen to the airport, after 9/11 that was possible because the Army paid for them to be there. So, if the governor of a state wanted them there now, it would come out of state budgets.
As for active-duty, non-LEO military carrying weapons on a civilian airliner, can you cite an example?