Domestic Abusers in Military to Lose Their Weapons

Many men and women in the military are being told they must turn in their weapons to comply with a law prohibiting gun ownership by people convicted of domestic abuse.

The Pentagon issued an interim policy Wednesday in line with a federal law passed more than a year ago.

Since carrying a weapon is essential to many jobs in the military, requiring such a step might mean that those service members affected will have to take desk jobs.

To find out, all of the military’s 1.4 million men and women are being required to fill out a form asking whether they have been convicted of such an offense. If they are not truthful, they could be prosecuted and thrown out of the service, officials said.

Frank Rush, a deputy assistant secretary, said the Pentagon expects the number of people affected “would be low,” perhaps in the hundreds. However, a senior officer speaking privately said the number could be in the thousands.