Privately Owned Weapons on Fort Bliss

By Christopher Mostowy, Fort Bliss Legal Assistance Office

For Soldiers and their families living on post, as well as individuals entering Fort Bliss, understanding the regulations regarding privately owned weapons can save them a lot of stress and legal trouble while still being able to properly exercise their rights. Every Army installation prohibits loaded firearms, regardless of state law or permit status, but there are many other types of weapons that can and will cause issues if the carrier is caught with them on a military installation. This article addresses the definition of prohibited weapons and describes the proper way to declare and register firearms when coming onto post.

Concealed weapons carry is strictly prohibited, as well as carry of loaded firearms. The only exception to the general prohibition on loaded firearms and concealed carry applies to Law Enforcement in limited circumstances and with prior authorization. In addition to loaded firearms, the following are also expressly prohibited on Fort Bliss: any fully automatic weapon (meaning capable of firing more than one round with a single trigger function); any rifle with a barrel length less than 16 inches; any shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18 inches; any weapon made from a shotgun or rifle with an overall length of less than 26 inches; armor piercing ammunition; firearms with the importer’s or manufacturer’s serial number altered or obscured in any way, shape, or form; and any silencers and suppressors. Explosives are prohibited on post as well. This includes fireworks.

Less obvious prohibited weapons include brass knuckles; riot sticks, tomahawks; weapons capable of emitting an electrical charge (including stun guns and tasers); and weapons capable of discharging needles or darts. Maces/pepper spray, or similar weapons are also not allowed, with the exception of devices that spray and contain fewer than 4 ounces of pepper spray or oleoresin capsicum. Army Regulation 190-11 covers weapons and ammunition conduct and procedures. In AR 190-11, senior commanders are instructed to regulate privately owned weapons on their perspective Army installations. Fort Bliss Regulation 27-5 covers the prohibited conduct regulations on Fort Bliss, including political activity, sexual assault and harassment, online conduct, physical appearance, and more, in addition to privately owned weapons.

Certain knives are also heavily regulated on post. Blades over 5.5 inches are illegal, and an illegal knife can include any instrument designed to cut or stab by being thrown, or any switchblade type knife. Switchblades are any knife that opens by use of a button or other device, folds or retracts into the handle, or opens by the force of gravity. Knives designed to stay closed that use a spring or other mechanism to overcome the closure bias are not illegal switchblades (e.g., a knife that requires a flick of the wrist to open is not prohibited). The prohibition on concealed weapons does not apply to blades under 3.5 inches. The blade still needs to comply with all the other regulations regardless of its length, or else it is an illegal knife. Other items allowed on post include kitchen knives (knives located within a food preparation area or kitchen), souvenirs mounted for display, and items used for home projects and camping (like axes, machetes, and hatchets).

Any privately owned weapon must be registered and declared immediately at any access control point to guard personnel, along with a reason for having it. If it is not registered, the carrier has 24 hours to do so, and the 24-hour window begins immediately when the weapon is brought on post. A privately owned weapon can be registered in-person at the Visitor Control Center (located in front of Buffalo Soldier Gate) or may be registered online by completing the Fort Bliss Firearms Registration Form and sending an encrypted email to “usarmy.bliss.imcom-central.mbx.weapons-registration@mail.mil.”

There are only two reasons an unregistered privately owned weapon should ever be brought on post:

A newly arrived service member brings the weapon for storage at the Fort Bliss Rod and Gun Club or to their unit arms room. The Soldier will need their PCS orders in hand to do this.
A service member may bring a newly purchased, unregistered POW for storage at their unit storage room or at the FBRGC.

Again, this does not alleviate the carrier’s responsibility to declare the weapon at an access control point, and the 24-hour mandatory registration window still begins immediately following that.

Alternatively, if the owner only intends to take their privately owned weapon to the FBRGC, then they may register their weapon there. However, if they would like to bring their privately owned weapon anywhere else on post, including making any stops in their route, it must be registered through one of the methods in the paragraph above within 24 hours of entering Fort Bliss. A video explaining bringing privately owned weapons onto Fort Bliss is located on the Garrison website (weapons-registration (army.mil)).

After declaring a privately owned weapon at an access control point and registering it with the installation’s Provost Marshal Office, the owner can transport the privately owned weapon on post for authorized marksmanship activities (such as use at the FBRGC); designated hunting; storage or removal; purchase or sale; or if the carrier is an official federal, state, or local law enforcement personnel with authorization. When transporting a privately owned weapon in a vehicle, the weapon needs to be unloaded, in the trunk of the vehicle, and in a locked container. If the vehicle does not have a trunk, the weapon cannot be easily accessible to anyone in the vehicle. Use of the glove compartment to store the weapon during transport is unacceptable. Best practice also dictates that any ammunition be in a separate container.

It is always best practice to contact the PMO or the Visitor Control Center with any questions or concerns regarding bringing privately owned weapons onto post. To reach the Weapons Registration Office, call (915) 568-3215.

To speak to an attorney on this subject, or any other topic, please schedule an appointment with the Fort Bliss Legal Assistance Office. Appointments may be made via email at usarmy.bliss.hqda-otjag.mesg.bliss-legal-assistance-office@army.mil, or via phone at (915) 568-7141 during business hours.