Page 15 - Aerotech News PCS Special May 2022

ll my stuff?
Gun safes excluded from household goods weight allowance
by Staff Sgt. ELORA J. MCCUTCHEON
Arlington, Va.
As of May 2022, the Joint Travel Regulations for service members were updated to exclude the weight of gun safes from the total weight allowance of household goods in a permanent change of station.
As the number of accidental child injuries and deaths continue to rise, more and more incidents are attributed to unsecured, loaded guns. Defense leaders are confident this update will help improve overall gun safety in homes, while also helping to decrease service member suicides.
“We will continue to prioritize the health, safety, and welfare of our Airmen, Guardians, and their families,” said Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall. “We want to ensure our service members have a safe home.”
The weight allowance for household goods falls between 5,000 and 18,000 pounds, based on rank and whether or not a service member has dependents.
With the weight of gun safes typically ranging from 200 to over 1,000 pounds, some service members may have experienced a conflict when choosing between safety and convenience. Now, service members are allowed to ship empty gun safes, not to exceed 500 pounds, in addition to respective household goods weight allowances.
Leaving loaded guns in unsecured areas of the home, such as bedside tables, closet storage rooms and unlocked gun cabinets, creates an opportunity for chil- dren to gain access to weapons, putting themselves or others in danger.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that firearms were the leading cause of death among U.S. children and adolescents in 2020.
Beyond the impact unsecured guns have on child safety, the Department of Defense has recognized the significant rise in service member suicide rates and established the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Commit- tee in March to address and prevent suicide in the military.
The Department of the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program, Integrated Resilience, Security Forces and the Safety Office combined to promote an effort focused on putting time and space between distressed individuals and the means to harm themselves named “Time-Based Prevention,” which became a part of the Department of the Air Force’s comprehensive suicide prevention strategy.
“We know that increasing the time between one’s suicide ideation and one’s access to a firearm can play a critical role in preventing a suicide. If this policy change prevents just one suicide, it’ll be a success in my eyes,” said Under Sec-
retary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones.
The concept was presented to Total Force Airmen who shared that the cost of going over their household goods limits is a barrier to using weapon safes in the home, leading the Department of the Air Force to pursue this change to the JTR. The DOD went on to adopt the “Time-Based Prevention” approach as a part of the DOD suicide prevention strategy.
In addition to the JTR update, the Department of the Air Force implemented a cable gun lock safety program in 2020, sending 150,000 cable gun locks to every installation in the United States for distribution to service mem- bers on a first-come, first-served basis.
“The bottom line is our first ob- ligation is to the Airmen, Guard- ians, and families who were cou- rageous enough to raise their right hand to serve this country,” Kendall said. “Everything we do is with them in mind, and this regulation update is no different.”
Courtesy photos
l information — Bring personal checks, ies of recent bank statements, and all bit cards — even the ones from depart-
ou never use.
information — Carry the household
your moving company provided, as well ortgage paperwork.
uments — Bring divorce or annulment om a previous marriage, wills, custody aperwork, and any active power of at-
ents.
employment records — Carry all tran-
t cards or grade sheets your children school registration. If your child has an d education program, or IEP, it’s impor- this with you. If you are moving with pecial needs, learn more about support e Exceptional Family Member Program. and physician information — Previous dental records and vaccination records needed for school registration and for ment, as well as prescription medica-
for your trip and first nights w home
oving delivery delays can happen, it’s o carry essential items with you. Some ider carrying with you are:
on for each family member — Prescrip-
ons for each family member should be . You might want to bring some headache too, in case of a sibling screaming match
ere.
nd chargers — Surviving without your
and charger today is almost inconceiv-
s — If you can’t imagine living without a om or treasured item, carry it with you ing.
ms — If you are doing a stateside PCS your vehicle with you, pack a box with going to need as soon as you arrive at
your new house: toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, cleaners, toilet brush, broom, mop, drinks, snacks, diapers, paper plates, etc. Then pack an extra bag with sheets, towels and an air mattress. Even if your belongings are scheduled to arrive “door-to-door,” it’s a good idea to plan for an extra day or two without your things because moving delays happen, especially in summer.
Unaccompanied baggage is typically picked up several weeks ahead of your household goods pickup. One tip I learned when I was on active duty, is that I would designate one room in my home and put all the items I wanted to include in unaccompanied baggage in one room. That way, when the packers arrived, I could direct them to the room and say
‘everything goes.’
Similarly, when it was time for my household
goods to be picked up, I would pre-pack the suit- cases I planned on traveling with – and lock them in the bathroom. That was to make sure essential items like uniforms didn’t get packed up with my household goods.
Firearms
While you are allowed to ship firearms in your household goods shipment during a stateside move, they must comply with all local and state laws. If moving overseas, you must abide by the laws of the host country. For more information, contact your local Transportation Management Office.
Professional books, papers and equipment, or pro-gear
Pro-gear can include books or military reference materials; professional tools for your job, including instruments; specialized clothing; military commu- nication equipment; individually owned or issued gear; or clothing.
Service members can move up to 2,000 pounds of professional gear, and spouses can move up to 500 pounds of professional gear.
Personally procured moves for do-it- yourself movers
If you prefer to organize your move yourself, you may be able to choose a personally procured move, or PPM. You are eligible for a PPM when you have PCS orders, a temporary duty assignment, or face separation, retirement or assignment to, from or between government quarters.
During a PPM, you coordinate the move of your household goods yourself without using any military moving services. This means that you are respon- sible for all the planning and communications that a military-coordinated move usually handles. Doing it all yourself can mean added stress and possible problems.
But military moves don’t have to be exclusively one or the other. You can use some military mov- ing services and manage other parts of the move yourself. For more information, contact your local transportation office or ask a Military OneSource moving expert.
Whether this is your first PCS or you’re a sea- soned professional, let Military OneSource help you master your move so you can get on with your mission.
20, 2022
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