COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gun-toting citizens are showing up at military recruiting centers around the country, saying they plan to protect recruiters following last week's killing of four Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 
 
 In this photo taken Tuesday, July 21, 2015, David Walters, left, and Chip Beduhn, both of Baraboo, Wis., stand guard outside an Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Madison, Wis. Walters and Beduhn are part... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Monday, July 20, 2015, a man who would only give his name as J.R., from Norfolk, Va., stands with his sidearm as dozens of people, some armed with weapons and some carrying water,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Jerry Blakeney stands guard with other members of Operation Hero Guard outside a U.S. military recruiting station in Cleburne, Texas, Tuesday, July 21, 2015. Gun-toting citizens are showing up at military... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Monday, July 20, 2015, a civilian from Huntsville, Ala., who did not wish to be identified, holds a gun while standing watch in front of the Armed Forces Career Center in Huntsville,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Terry Jackson, left, and Jonathan McCroskey, members of Operation Hero Guard, stand guard outside a U.S. military recruiting station in Cleburne, Texas, Tuesday, July 21, 2015. Gun-toting citizens are... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Tuesday, July 21, 2015, Allen Bowles, left, and Clint Janney stand guard outside a military recruiting center in Columbus, Ohio. The men are members of the 3 Percent Irregulars Militia,... (Associated Press) 
 
 The citizens, some of them private militia members, said they're supporting the recruiters, who by military directive are not armed. 
 
 "We're here to serve and protect," Clint Janney said Tuesday, wearing a Taurus 9mm handgun as he stood in a parking lot across from a recruiting center on the west side of Columbus. "What the government won't do, we will do." 
 
 Similar posts have been set up outside recruitment centers in several cities around the country, including Madison, Wisconsin; Hiram, Georgia; Phoenix; and several sites in Tennessee, including Murfreesboro. 
 
 There's no evidence that such centers are in danger, and the government isn't changing how they're staffed, although some governors have temporarily moved National Guard recruiting centers to armories and several have authorized Guard personnel to carry weapons at state facilities. 
 
 Janney, 38, who runs his own garage door company, is a member of the Ohio branch of the "3 Percent Irregulars" militia. He was joined by four other members of the militia, some of whom arrived just Tuesday and others who'd been there since Friday. In Ohio and many states, it is legal to carry an openly displayed handgun or rifle. 
 
 The men sat in lawn chairs, occasionally dipping into a cooler for bottles of water, or stood around talking. Some people came by to thank them; others didn't seem aware of their presence in the large plaza. 
 
 Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott said that as long as the owner of the plaza didn't ask them to leave, the men were not violating any laws. Scott has instructed deputies to check on recruiting centers, but not the volunteer guards. 
 
 Employees of a medical supply center next door to the recruiting center said they understood the volunteers' intentions but weren't thrilled about their presence. Customers leaving the store said they appreciated the volunteers but thought professional security guards would be better. 
 
 "They could just go crazy with the shooting. You just don't know their state of mind," said Kimm McLaughlin, 44, of nearby Grove City. 
 
 On Tuesday, the founder and president of Oath Keepers, a Las Vegas-based Constitution activist group made up of current and former veterans and first responders such as paramedics, issued a national call to members to guard centers. Many were already guarding centers in Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma, president Stewart Rhodes said. 
 
 Rhodes said it's "absolutely insane" that recruiters aren't allowed to be armed. 
 
 "They're sitting ducks," Rhodes said Tuesday. "They'd be better off if they were walking down the streets of Baghdad, because at least in Baghdad, they could move. Here, they're stationary." 
 
 Capt. Jim Stenger, a Marine Corps public affairs officer for the recruiting district that includes parts of seven Midwestern states, said he hopes the gun-toting civilians will go home. 
 
 "While we greatly appreciate the support of the American public during this tragedy, we ask that citizens do not stand guard at our recruiting offices," Stenger said in an emailed statement. "Our continued public trust lies among our trained first responders for the safety of the communities where we live and work." 
 
 A 1992 Department of Defense directive restricts weapons to law enforcement or military police on federal property, which would include recruiting centers. The U.S. Army Recruiting Command doesn't have a position on the citizens' actions as long as they aren't disrupting the recruiting centers, spokesman Brian Lepley said. 
 
 He said that while tragic, such incidents have happened only twice in six years at recruiting centers: in Chattanooga last week, and in Little Rock in 2009 in a shooting that killed one solider and injured another. 
 
 "Recruiting stations need to be out in the public; we need to be out where young people are," Lepley said. Most recruiters are Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans well trained in dealing with shooters, he added. 
 
 A group of veterans and their supporters began guarding a Navy-Marine recruiting station in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday. 
 
 "Just civic pride," said David Walters, a 30-year-old Army veteran from Baraboo, north of Madison. "It's good to show that people can still come together." 
 
 He took his turn in front of the station Tuesday with Chip Beduhn, a 44-year-old security guard also from Baraboo. Walters said he was carrying a concealed weapon and would be comfortable with violence if someone tried to attack the station. 
 
 In Arizona, armed members of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's volunteer posses patrolled Tuesday around Army Reserve offices in Buckeye, about 30 miles west of downtown Phoenix. 
 
 The sheriff said he decided to have three posse members patrol after an Army Reserve captain requested extra security. Posse members are patrolling the area just outside the Reserve grounds, but Arpaio said they would enter the property if extra security was needed. The sheriff has used posse volunteers for similar patrols in the past. 
 
 In Hiram, Georgia, about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta, a group of four or five people stood outside a recruiting office Friday with their personal firearms as a show of support. They had a pop-up tent, a few lawn chairs and American flags, Police Chief Todd Vande Zande said. 
 
 "If it makes them feel better as American citizens and they're not doing anything illegal, then I'm all for it," he said. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Kantele Franko in Columbus, Kate Brumback in Atlanta, Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, and Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix contributed to this report. 

 UPDATE: Civilians guarding local military facility pleased with decision to arm some Wis. National Guard members Posted: Monday, July 20, 2015 11:52 PM EDT Updated: Tuesday, August 4, 2015 11:52 PM EDT 
 
 MADISON (WKOW) – Veterans standing guard outside a local, military recruiting office said they're pleased with the Governor's call to arm members of the Wisconsin National Guard. 
 
 Gov. Scott Walker issued the executive order on Tuesday. 
 
 “Every little bit helps,” said veteran Dave Walters. 
 
 Walters is one of several people who've been standing guard outside the U.S. Armed Forces recruitment center on Thierer Road. 
 
 He and others standing guard there, all legally carrying concealed firearms, said they want to protect the military service members working inside from an attack like last week's shootings in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 
 
 The recruitment center is located in the same strip mall as a recruitment office for the Wisconsin National Guard. 
 
 Maj. Paul Rickert, director of public affairs for the Wisconsin National Guard, said armed security personnel were placed at the guard's four recruitment centers located in civilian settings as of Tuesday morning. He said that includes the recruitment center in Madison, as well as facilities in Milwaukee, La Crosse and Eau Claire. 
 
 Walters said he hopes the security officers stationed at the guard office can also protect the armed forces recruitment facility, where those inside are not permitted to carry firearms under federal law. 
 
 “I hope something can be incorporated so that those guys can take care of these guys too,” Walters said. “It's a step in the right direction.” 
 
 Also on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Command asked veterans and civilians around the country to stop guarding its recruiting facilities. 
 
 “In light of the recent incident, we have reviewed and made necessary adjustments to our force protection conditions,” said Maj. Paul Greenberg, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Marine Corps. “For operational security reasons, however, we will not discuss specific force protection measures at our recruiting stations or offices. The safety of our Marines is our top concern, and we will continue to remain vigilant, proactive, and unpredictable in order to thwart potential incidents.” 
 
 “We appreciate the support of the American public during this tragedy,” Greenberg said in a statement. “However, the Marine Corps has not requested, nor do we endorse, armed private citizens standing guard at our recruiting offices. Our continued public trust lies among our trained local, state and federal law enforcement officials and first responders for the safety of the communities where we live and work.” 
 
 Upon learning of the statement from the Marine Corps, a U.S. Navy veteran who was standing guard at the military recruitment site in Madison on Monday said he has plans to return there later this week. 
 
 The veteran, who opted against giving us his name, said his son is a recruiter at the Madison facility and he wants to protect him and the other service members inside. 
 
 However, the veteran said he would cease to guard the recruitment office if an arrangement can be struck so that the armed personnel at the Wisconsin National Guard office can also keep watch on the armed forces recruiting site. 
 
 ******** 
 
 MADISON (WKOW) – A group of veterans has begun standing guard outside a military recruitment facility near Madison's East Towne Mall. 
 
 “The main reason I'm here is because this facility is considered a soft target,” said one veteran, who opted against giving his name. “The federal government won't let our recruiting stations carry weapons.” 
 
 That veteran said he's standing guard outside the recruitment site with a legally concealed firearm to protect those working inside – including his son, who is a Navy recruiter. 
 
 “They're pistol and rifle trained,” he said of the military service men and women. “They should be protecting themselves. I wouldn't be here if they were each carrying a side arm.” 
 
 Other veterans guarding the facility said they hope their presence there projects an image of love and solidarity with active duty military members. 
 
 “We love these guys like they're our brothers and sisters,” said veteran Dave Walters. 
 
 Marine 1st Sgt. (Ret.) Tim La Sage said current law only permits military service members to carry firearms in the U.S. when they're performing law-enforcement duties, like standing guard at the gates of federal military bases. 
 
 He said that leaves many inside those bases, or at recruiting sites, vulnerable. 
 
 “Inside the base you don't have the security of armed personnel,” La Sage said. 
 
 La Sage said all military personnel “in boot camp and beyond” are qualified to carry weapons. He said current military policy is outdated and should be updated. 
 
 “If people are being threatened in our country, not just overseas, and are being targeted for their military affiliation, we have an obligation as leaders to protect our troops,” La Sage said. 
 
 “The tricky part is the who, the what, the when of who should be allowed to carry,” he said. 
 
 “Everyone is qualified, but there should be more in-depth training for certain people, just like in the U.S. Marshalls or with people who do security,” La Sage said. “So I don't envy the lawmakers.” 
 
 U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) said he's introducing a bill to amend the laws regarding the arming of military personnel. A spokesperson for Johnson said his office is planning to introduce the bill Wednesday. 
 
 La Sage said giving more service members firearms is not perfect solution. He said more guns brings more risk of accidental discharge or a civilian being hit by return fire should a military facility come under attack. 
 
 But La Sage said he supports recent calls to arm troops at bases, recruitment centers and reserve facilities. 
 
 “We are all sworn to defend this country,” La Sage said. “It would be nice to defend us while we're inside the country as well.” 
 
 The veterans gathered on Madison's East Side said they plan to continue congregating there until current law is changed. 
 
 The unnamed veteran, who's son works at the recruitment facility, said he hopes other veterans around the country will begin guarding military facilities too. 
 
 “I'm just hoping that throughout this country other veterans, true Americans and patriots go and help these guys out,” he said.
– Wisconsin and six other states moved to arm National Guard members on duty after last week's Chattanooga shootings; now armed citizens are heading out to add an extra layer of protection. Reports of these self-appointed sentinels—some of them from private militia—have filtered in from Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, Tennessee, Alabama, New Hampshire, and Virginia, the AP and the Trace report. "What the government won't do, we will do," a member of Ohio's branch of the "3 Percent Irregulars" militia said yesterday, sporting a Taurus 9mm handgun while he kept an eye on a recruiting center in Columbus. The AP notes that in Ohio and many other states, it's legal to openly carry a handgun or rifle; in the case of that Columbus location, the local county sheriff says as long as the owner of the plaza doesn't object, the men can stay put in the lawn chairs they've set up there. For some, it's even more personal than simply fulfilling citizen duties: One Navy vet guarding a recruiting center in Madison, Wis., told WKOW that his son was a recruiter inside that center. But not everyone's thrilled these DIY defenders are taking matters into their own hands. "While we greatly appreciate the support of the American public during this tragedy, we ask that citizens do not stand guard at our recruiting offices," a Marine Corps public affairs officer says in an emailed statement to the AP. A customer coming out of a store next door to the Columbus recruiting center tells the news agency that the volunteers "could just go crazy with the shooting. You just don't know their state of mind."