<p>I am aware that during plebe summer we will be shooting the M9 and M16. I understand that if we go Marines, SpecOps, etc. that we will be using firearms. Aside from that, what other naval officers will be "packing heat?" It would certainly be handy for a downed aviator, how about surface and subs?</p>
<p>^^^^^
Civil Engineer Corps officers pack heat when assigned to the Seabees. The assigned weapon for a CEC officer is a 9mm pistol.</p>
<p>Pilots going through training at their FRS (Fleet Replacement Squadron) go through more pistol training during the weapons part of their syllabus. They carry a pistol when flying over hostile territory.</p>
<p>The FRS is where newly winged aviators learn to fly the specific plane they'll fly in the fleet. The weapons phase comes right before carrier quals. My squadron spent weeks and weeks in lovely, misnamed El Centro, CA destroying the nearby Chocolate Mountains during weapons detachments. Fun! At least I got to shoot every time a class came through.</p>
<p>In five years in the fleet (including a stint as the officer in charge of all the firearms on board), I had my hands on a Navy firearm about a dozen times. Only about 4-5 of those did we actually get to shoot.</p>
<p>In general, SWO's and sub officers only handle firearms during annual qualifications and during shipboard security drills. If you are a member of a boarding party, then you will be handling weapons each time you go out to board a vessel. Sub officers won't experience that while assigned to a sub, though. Subs sink ships; they don't board them.</p>
<p>On my ship, the weapons were the Colt 1911 .45 Pistol, the M14 Rifle, and the Remington 870 12-gauge pump shotgun. I DID get to fire a .50 BMG machine gun once. Woo-hoo! THAT was a hoot! :D</p>
<p>In short, however, you won't be handling them much. Granted, this was in the pre-9/11 days, so shipboard procedures may have changed a little bit. Even assuming they have, a) it's not something that should be discussed online, and b) don't expect to see anything like Battlestar Galactica where EVERYONE is packing a sidearm.</p>
<p>Unfortunately you'll have to leave your Ivory-handled revolvers at home during your tenure in the fleet and Academy.</p>