§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules govern the handling of firearms in a made ready condition; and in what circumstances made ready firearms may be carried inside an Army barracks. [131985]
§ Mr. IngramFor the purposes of answering this question, it has been assumed that the hon. Member is referring to the non-operational use of firearms by Army personnel. The relevant rules maintain that unless an individual is ordered to make the weapon ready, or he/she is about to fire, the weapon is always to be made safe; that is no live round is to be carried in the breech, and, in the case of automatic weapons, the working parts are to be forward.
Under normal circumstances, a soldier would only carry a made ready weapon inside the barrack area when they are ordered to do so; for instance when training on a range, or if there was an imminent threat to life.