The line between good citizenship and going too far is blurring since last week's attack at a military recruitment in Tennessee, where a gunman shot and killed four Marines and one Navy sailor.
There have been numerous reports of civilians standing as ad hoc volunteer armed guards outside recruiting offices in several states including Connecticut.
"I'm against violence, I don't believe in that. But there are certain times when you do need to protect yourself and others," Southbury resident Fernando Rodriguez of Southbury said Thursday, while standing across Wolcott Avenue from the recruitment facility where a man reportedly stood sentinel Tuesday morning, drawing response from city police.
"We have a law and order," veteran Al McMinn of Woodbury pointed out, "and we have to follow it, whether you like it or not."
McMinn said he agrees with the Department of Defense policy that prohibits military recruitment staff being armed at their offices, while acknowledging that locked doors and a buzzer/intercom security system such as the one at the Waterbury center aren't infallible.
"I mean, a person can just have a weapon and and say 'I'm just going to sign up,' or something like that," McMinn said.
Perhaps ironically, Rodriguez, who isn't a veteran, says the current policy should be changed.
Local
"They should let them - allow them to carry weapons, to defend themselves," Rodriguez said.
Police say the man involved in the Waterbury incident was licensed to carry a firearm and did nothing illegal. Nevertheless, they asked him to leave and he complied.
Local recruitment staff are not authorized to speak with media about such incidents, but the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion near Albany sent a statement to NBC Connecticut Thursday, reading, in part, "In light of the attack, the Army will increase vigilance and review our security measures, particularly at stand-alone sites not connected to a military installation. We are America's Army and local communities can support our security by reporting suspicious activity, particularly around recruiting centers; if you see something, say something."
The statement did not include a call to arms.
Acknowledging that there are no easy solutions to security flaws, one woman, who asked not to be named, offered, "I don't believe in anyone having guns, to be honest with you."
