Demonstrators stand outside Jefferson City recruitment center to protect officers

Some Jefferson City citizens are calling for change after the mass shooting in Chattanooga.

At least 8 citizens and veterans posted themselves outside the Armed Forces Recruitment Center on Missouri Boulevard Monday.

All of them were carrying handguns claiming they are doing something the government can’t do.

“I think it’s up to us individuals to come and protect them because they’re not being protected the way they should be,” said one of the demonstrators named Jim.

Right now in Missouri, recruitment officers are not allowed to carry guns.

There’s now a statewide effort to change that rule.

“Things have got to change, we’ve got to arm ourselves, we’ve got to be prepared and our soldiers do too. They’re getting killed on American soil,” said Jim.

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder is leading the charge to change that.

“These soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, our national guardsmen and women have been trained to responsibly use weapons. There is, to me, no argument for not arming them,” said Kinder.

Kinder said the real problem is listing certain public places like recruitment centers as “gun free zones.”

“Every sign that says ‘This is a Gun-Free Zone’ is an invitation to a killer, deranged or not, to come in and shoot people who he knows will be unarmed.”

In the wake of the shooting in Tennessee, gun control activists said more restrictions are needed on the sale and purchase of guns.

They said fewer guns on the street means fewer gun-related crimes.