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Machine guns OK for security at nation’s nuclear power plants
September 16th, 2009, 5:00 am · 37 Comments · posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer
Coming soon, most likely, to a nuclear plant near you: Big, bad, seriously “enhanced weapons,” such as machine guns, short-barreled shotguns and short-barreled rifles.
“This is the kind of weaponry that is not common,” said Holly Harrington, spokeswoman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “We’re stepping it up.”
On Friday (um, eight years after 9/11, to be exact) the NRC issued guidelines that will allow America’s nuclear plant operators to apply for permission to put this firepower into the hands of their security personnel.
Previously, only federal, state or local law enforcement could lawfully possess machine guns (with very limited exceptions), the NRC said.
So! Will Southern California Edison - operator of our very own San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station - get in line for some big guns?
“It is Southern California Edison’s policy not to comment on the security measures in place at its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station other than to say it is one of the most secure facilities in Southern California Edison,” said spokesman Gil Alexander. (We figured as much, but you can’t blame us for trying.)
Now don’t get the wrong idea - security guards at the nation’s nuclear plants are indeed armed. Just not with this sort of heavy metal.
There’s a whole process plant operators will have to go through before they get these weapons, and the U.S. Attorney General will be in on it, the NRC says:
- The NRC would first designate the nuclear facilities, radioactive material or other property eligible for such authority.
- The operator would have to update the plant’s security plan, training and qualification plan, and contingency response plan, to reflect the new weaponry.
- The operator would have to submit a “weapons safety assessment” evaluating the impact of the potential use of these weapons.
- Security personnel with access to the weapons would be subject to fingerprint checks and firearms background checks by the U.S. Attorney General.
The public will have a chance to comment as the NRC puts the new rules into effect - and that won’t be final until about 2011, Harrington said.
“We’re saying, ’You can pursue this.’ After the rule becomes final, plants have the option,” she said.”Nobody has to do it.”
Will the public know which plants are applying for the big guns? Most of the details of nuclear plant security are kept secret, for everyone’s protection; whether the big gun applications would fall behind the wall of silence is not quite clear yet, Harrington said.
The NRC got the authority to OK these weapons from Congress, in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. To which we say, better late than never!
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That weapon looks an awful lot like the M249SAW. While I love this weapon and think it is the most fun to shoot, there really isn’t anything big, bad, or enhanced about this weapon. It is a light machine gun. Our military has been using it for years and it fires a smaller round than your medium machine guns, causing less damage to property and a different type of damage to the bad guys. What we need to do is give these weapons to the border patrol so they can defend our country.
Finally! We have sufficient firepower to protect our b00bs!
Cool little firearm. Seems the staff writer has a problem with defending a vital asset to the regions power supply. Is there a difference between the option to use this weapon, and arming street cops with M-16’s ??
there is no difference other than the amount of rounds fired per minute, the “machine gun” there does in fact look like a m249saw(squad automatic weapon) but it fires a 5.56mm round just like the m-16 now give them an m-60 which fires a 7.62 mm round and that would be good
Machineguns invokes a gut reaction by non-shooters. The concern with the use of rapid fire automatic weapons should be the amount of training provided to those with access to the weapons and the level of security for storing such weapons. Then again, the SAW is a 5.56 mm and lacks extended range. There would be no need for a 7.62 mm or .50 Caliber machinegun unless the facility is not located near residential neighborhoods. Providing M203 (5.56 mm with a 40 mm gernade launcher) would be complimentary to a SAW.
If we, or any nuke facility, get attacked by bad guys, *they* will have that kind of firepower and more. We *must* have better, or at least the same as the bad guys if we expect to be anywhere near successful in eliminating the threat.
Teri Sforza’s sarcastic comments are typical of people who are clueless about what it takes to secure these types of facilities. A terrorist attack on a nuclear plant could potentially create a grand-scale disaster that would dwarf 9/11. Let the security people have their machine guns and anything else they need to keep these places secure.
They need at least 50 caliber machine guns. Give them anything they want… RPG’s, Bazooka’s, flamethrowers, even a few modern howitzers! Any of that cool stuff you see on TV is fine with me.
On Friday (um, eight years after 9/11, to be exact) the NRC issued guidelines that will allow America’s nuclear plant operators to apply for permission to put this firepower into the hands of their security personnel.
WONDERFUL HOMELAND SECURITY WE’VE HAD IN THE LAST 8 YEARS. IGNORANCE IS BLISS.
I think beefed up security would be a better answer. I can recall a few years ago they found an illegal alien sleeping in one of the railroad cars. Personally I think the biggest threat to San Onofre is the California Legislature.
I don’t see anything wrong with heavily arming security personnel of a nuclear power plant. Anybody who comes to a nuclear power plant with bad intentions surely isn’t going to be dumb enough to attack with a simple pistol–the person will probably come heavily armed and armored.
Well while I think that it is important to secure power plants, you people are really showing your ignorance. The machine guns are a good idea in that they provide more fire power than the M-4 carbines personnel carry already. I am a nuclear engineer and let me tell you, no terrorist driving a truck or anything like that will get close to being able to cause a catastrophe. No homemade bombs or anything like that. The only way a terrible event could happen would be if a terrorist got a job and went to the control room or any other secure part of the plant to shut down vital systems.
The containment buildings that you see there, those are designed to withstand a plane or missile hitting them. And this was done before 9/11. No, it would take too much work for a terrorist to melt down a nuclear power plant. If you think about it, it is much easier to bring down a couple of high rise buildings.
And what is this article anyway? A blog post? This is not journalistic writing. Please OC Register, take this person off the site because it embarasses both of us. Go back to school and learn to write objectively.
I thought that the guards already carried some type of automatic rifle as seen by pics in the past of the posted guards at the gate of SO. Are they Edison employees by chance or are they contracted gov’t level security types?
Better safely prepared than sorry…
-SD
Shawn Michaels says YADA YADA YADA YADA
The writer needs to get their facts straight, other parts of the country allow Joe Six Pack to have weapons that fire in full auto. Only the Republik of Kalifornia and the wise Dumb O’Crats in power ( who hold hold concealed weapons permits but will not allow the commoner to have a permit) have sought to save us from ourselves and not legally allow weapons that fire in full burst within state borders. Thank god for Nevada, long live the H&K MP5 N.
Say hello to my little friend.
Hummmm….MP5. I got to admit that is a beautiful piece. At least in Nevada (and several other states) the public can legally carry and defend themselves. I suppose that we just need to pray that no one ever pulls a gun on us here since we can not legally carry and defend ourselves other than the choosen few.
-SD
Way to sensationalize firearms again. Gotta love the media.
So let me get this straight; we have announced to the world that our facilities are not heavily armed and will not be until 2011. Another fine addmission from those who are in the know that would be better left untold.
I say load ‘em up…. maybe some M203’s also…
Ewwwwww! Icky-icky guns! Naughty-naughty guns! Guns make me so scared I do #2 in my Depends.
-signed, Typical Liberal Democrat.
Look. I do not own a gun. Never have. But then, I live in Irvine.
Were I to live in Montana, or South Central, or be in charge of protecting a vital facility - I would want the appropriate firepower to be available.
It would be nice to get some specifics about the guns and calibers to be used. Probably just “standard stuff” already used by the U.S. Military, and much already legally had by law-abiding U.S. civilians.
This is good. I believe in muscle power. We should give the guards permission to torture suspects too.
And what kind of torture is that sock-puppet.
Wedgies, noogies, wet willies, and Indian burns.
Which count as “torture” by some libs’ tortured logic (which defines any infliction of physical discomfort as “torture.”)
Thumbs up! I thought they would need more of a TOW type weapon to thwart a determined assault. A plant like this, only 50 miles away, should be protected with absoulute repeling firepower.
Hose them down with bullets, I always say!!!!
I must live under a rock.
I thought that the San Onofre Nuke already had security armed with machine guns.
They must be the only guys in the neighborhood NOT to have machine guns. After all, they’re next to Camp Pendleton.
I’m shocked they haven’t had these firearms.
If there’s even the most remote chance that terrorists could attempt an assault on a nuclear power plant, then we need to take ALL steps necessary. There should be surface-to-air missles at San Onofre. Security, who are all recently-discharged Marines, should be carrying firepower guaranteed to be more than what any attackers might have. They should have machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, whatever it takes.
Since the government cancelled the Cheyenne Mountain nuclear repository, (Thanks Biden!), it guarantees that there is a large stockpile of highly radioactive spent fuel at each Nuc plant. This could easily used to build a very nasty “Dirty” bomb that would devastate Los Angeles.
Arm the Nuc plants!
You mean Yucca Mountain, right? In Nevada, not Colorado?
It is about time, only eight years after 9/11. And here I thought all along the security for nuclear power plants already had automatic weapons. Security should have had auto weapons a long time ago.
hmm.. 8 years and still not armed. Although I agree with the previous comment about how sturdy the powerplant is, it’s more of a concern that a terrorist cell can enter the facility as a normal employee and create much more chaos then a right down and out physical gun fight or bomb…Perhaps being overly armed is not really an issue and have better security protocols for their employees.
PRK is one of the states that keeps its law abiding citizens regulated for gun control and let the criminals reign in the power of arms untethered….Heil Arnie…
No, sowhat, they ARE armed, just not with fully automatic weapons.
Folks, the picture is just for illustration; if that was THE weapon that was allowed there’d be a caption.
As for allowed weaponry, an automatic shotgun would be a good addition to the arsenal. But over all, the choice of weapons comes down to where personnel are deployed and the situation: close quarters or enough distance to warrant a sniper? Both likely exist most nuclear plants.
I’d be surprised if Three Mile Island didn’t have PA State Police boat patrols.
my bad Cato, thanks for clarifying that issue…
Rick, you do realize there is a lot of “standard stuff” used by the military and law enforcement that isn’t legal for purchase/use by the public, right?
Several varieties of sniper rifle, full-auto rifles, auto shotguns. It’s seriously high-power stuff. And don’t get too hung up on caliber when talking about such rifles’ muzzle velocity.
The weapon shown is indeed a M249Saw, but just has a smaller clip attached than we use in the military. I also agree the Border Patrol should have one of these in every truck, Suv and patrol car they use. Currently most Police Departments have moved on from the AR-15’s and M16’s to the M4 Carbine. Any other questions?
Cato:
The problem is people can purchase those weapons here in California Legally and then order the parts from another state that will make it fully auto. Look into to it.