NRC moves to allow more heavily armed nuclear facility guards
The U.S. Nuclear regulatory Commission (NRC) has moved to allow guards at U.S. nuclear facilities to be equipped with more “enhanced weapons,” including machine guns, short-barreled shotguns, or short-barreled rifles
Currently, security personnel at U.S. nuclear facilities may not possess and use certain “enhanced weapons,” including machine guns, short-barreled shotguns, or short-barreled rifles. As required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, however, steps are being taken to grant facilities regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) permission to arm their guards with such weapons.
Last Friday, as the first step in this policy change, the NRC issued guidelines that will eventually allow nuclear facilities to arm their security personnel with enhanced weapons.
