Honestly, this development seemed so bizarre that it screamed “hoax!” Apparently, though, the US Navy investigation into the mass shootings in Chattanooga might result in charges against one officer who returned fire in defense of his comrades. No charges have been filed as of yet, but the Navy released a statement in which they declined to proscribe the possibility of discipline for Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White:

A Navy official told Fox News that punishing a lieutenant commander who used an unauthorized weapon to fire back at the Chattanooga gunman who shot and killed five service members could not be “completely ruled out,” and two high-profile former military officers, including presidential candidate Jim Webb, say the Navy is at least seriously considering charging the man.

The Navy said in a statement that it had not charged any service members with an offense at the present time.

“Stories of Navy personnel being charged with an offense are not true,” the statement said. “There is still a long way to go in reviewing the facts of this tragic incident, but at this time we can confirm no service member has been charged with an offense.”

Military personnel are not allowed to carry weapons inside military recruiting and reserve stations. That ban is now facing scrutiny following the July 16 rampage by an Islamic extremist that killed five military members in Tennessee.

The issue here is that the Pentagon and the last few administrations want recruiting centers to be gun-free zones. They gave what amounts to be a lawful order, even if it’s a stupid order. As long as the violation of the order didn’t get public attention, the Pentagon could have tolerated it, but the high-profile exposure puts them in a tough position. Discipline within the military depends on obeying orders, and having a mid-ranking officer violating this one could very well have a domino effect — if Congress, the White House, and the Pentagon plan to continue its foolish policy of making military recruiting stations gun-free zones.

On the other hand … come on. I have to agree with my friend (and retired Army officer) Pete Hegseth here. Lt. Cmdr. White acted with courage under fire to protect his post and the people within it from an Islamist terrorist intent on slaughtering as many people as possible. He put his life at risk to do so, continuing the finest tradition of our armed forces, defending America from a perfidious attack. The solution here is to give Lt. Cmdr. White a medal for his bravery under fire, and assign him a low-level rebuke along with it for violating the gun-free zone policy in a manner that won’t hamper his career. Discipline and justice will both be satisfied.