Dean Allen, candidate for S.C. Adjutant General, held a Machine Gun Social at Allen Arms Indoor Range at 1210 Poinsett Hwy on Saturday.  Twenty-five dollars bought supporters a BBQ meal and a full ammo clip to shoot through the automatic weapon of their choice.  The event was packed with about 200 people, many of whom were anxious to shoot a machine gun for their first time.  Despite the overflow crowd, range owner Frank Allen and his staff handled the proceedings professionally and safely.  Ron’s Hog Pen BBQ of Spartanburg supplied an excellent meal, and a drawing was held for a free AK-47 at the conclusion of the event.

Allen served three tours of combat duty, one in the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, and two tours in Vietnam.  He has been a volunteer with the State Guard for six years and belongs to numerous civic organizations.  He was responsible for security in a 2008 terrorism exercise in the Upstate which involved coordinating 62 different local, State and Federal agencies.  Since security is Allen’s specialty, if elected Adjutant General he wants to coordinate various agencies, including the State Guard, which he wants to better train and equip.  Currently, the State Guard and Civil Air Patrol don’t train together.  Allen said that “if they don’t train together, they can’t work together.”  The State Guard doesn’t have proper radios and other equipment necessary to respond to emergencies.  Allen said that Rep. Joe Wilson has a bill to transfer new and used surplus Federal military equipment to State Guards nationwide so that they are better equipped to handle emergencies.

Allen is very concerned about illegal immigration and its threat to our national security.  The Federal government has a 287G program in which Sheriff’s deputies can be trained in immigration procedures, but some Sheriffs are reluctant to participate because they can’t spare sending deputies to training.  Allen has a very unique and intelligent solution.  According to State law, members of the State Guard can act as deputies and Allen would like for them to replace deputies while they are away on 287G training so that the program can be implemented by county Sheriffs.

Another aspect of the 287G program is that a 50-bed facility is required to house illegal aliens awaiting deportation, which is difficult since most jails are already at or near capacity.  Allen says that there are 89 National Guard Armories across S.C. and these would be the perfect facilities to house illegal aliens while awaiting deportation.  If necessary, Allen said that tent cities could be made such as in Arizona by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, except that these could be guarded by National Guardsmen.

Allen said that although he would have no control over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he would use his office as a bully pulpit to state that we should either win or get out.  He said that our Rules of Engagement protect their civilians, not our soldiers.  American troops can’t fire on their mosques, so Allen said that naturally the Muslims are using them to store weapons and manufacture bombs.  He said the government won’t admit that we are fighting Islam.  President Obama said that if an apprehended terrorist isn’t supplied a lawyer and read his Miranda rights within 72 hours he must be released.  As a combat veteran, Allen said that if we don’t change the Rules of Engagement to protect our soldiers and win the War on Terror, we should bring them home and address our own problems of national security and emergency preparedness.