OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — After a deadly shooting at a military installation in Tennessee, Gov. Mary Fallin is authorizing the state's adjutant general to arm full-time Oklahoma National Guardsmen at military facilities in Oklahoma.
Fallin issued an executive order on Friday granting Maj. Gen. Robbie Asher the authority to arm National Guard soldiers and airmen with whatever weaponry he deems necessary to adequately provide for their safety and security.
Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz says without the state authority, National Guardsmen revert to federal policies, which call for them to be unarmed.
Fallin issued a separate executive order late Friday that calls for all American and Oklahoma flags on state property be flown at half-staff through Monday in honor of the four Marines killed at a military facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee.