Although it’s not the first base exchange offer firearms for sale, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, located in Montgomery, AL, is the most recent. On Feb. 17, the base held grand opening ceremonies for a fully stocked gun counter and, as part of the celebration, awarded SIG Sauer handguns to pair of lucky attendees and offered special deals on select items.
The new counter offers rifles, shotguns, handguns ammunition, accessories, camping gear and more. Patrons who used their Military Star card through Saturday got an additional 10 percent off their purchases—on top of the grand opening sale prices. One of the biggest advantages—other than the two-day grand opening specials—to patrons of the stores is the lack of sales tax.
The exchange has a history of ranking high in customer service among military facilities, and joins a number of other exchanges— including Hill Air Force Base in Utah—in offering firearm and outdoor-related products. Pamphlets with information on firearm ownership and procedures for military personnel were handed out during the festivities and, as in the other locations, reminders about regulations will continue to be reinforced during sales.
Maxwell-Gunter Air Force base is on the same site where the Wright Brothers established their Wright Flying School in 1910—a short-lived and too-early for its time experiment that lasted only a few months. It did, however, become an important location as the nation prepared for World War I and is still home to the United States Air Force Air University.
