Gun sale policies vary from base to base depending upon which state they’re in. Some states have mandatory waiting periods for gun purchases, while in other states, service members can leave the exchange with their weapon the day they buy it.

The Pentagon-appointed committee said the military should standardize those policies across its exchanges — with regulations beyond state and federal gun laws.

Committee members recommended that no service member under 25 be sold a gun on base, because adults younger than that are at greater risk for suicide. It recommended a mandatory 7-day waiting period for gun purchases and an additional 4-day waiting period to buy ammunition following receipt of a gun bought at the exchange.

Another key recommendation would require an act of Congress.

An item in the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act explicitly bars the Pentagon from tracking gun ownership among Defense Department personnel. This means military commanders are often unaware which troops have personal firearms at home. The committee called for that ban to be lifted.

But, there could be resistance in the ranks to that proposal, according to Matt Sampson, a writer and Marine reservist. Sampson, who spoke as a private citizen, not for the Marine Corps, said service members might not be comfortable sharing more of their personal information with their commanders.

“There’s distrust for enhancing, in any way, the amount of control that your command can exert over your personal life,” Sampson said.

Sampson reviews tactical gear for his website, Nylon Theory, and said for some in the military, gun ownership is just part of the culture.

“It’s something that is popular with a lot of people in the military … and it’s not a bad thing at all,” Sampson said. “There’s plenty of people who go and they shoot at the range with their friends recreationally … it’s a good bonding exercise.”

An Army and Air Force Exchange spokesperson did not say specifically whether the gun sale policy is specifically being reviewed, but said “all merchandise categories” are “continually” reviewed. The Marines said the recommendations are under review, and the Corps will implement any adopted by the Pentagon.

A spokesperson for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the department implemented the recommendations that could be enacted immediately. They included the hiring of more behavioral health professionals and incorporating more mental health conditions into primary medical care.

Austin’s office said a new working group is reviewing the rest.

The committee’s report noted that previous committee reports made similar or identical recommendations, but the Department of Defense did not act upon them.

“One conclusion … is that persistently elevated suicide rates in the DoD result in no small part to the DoD’s limited responsiveness to multiple recommendations that have been repeatedly raised by independent reviewers and its own experts,” the report says.

Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, Austin’s spokesperson, said in an email the working group was directed to give “full consideration” to every recommendation.

“This working group will assess all remaining recommendations to determine the feasibility and advisability of implementing the recommendation as proposed, whether policy changes are required, implementation timeline, synchronization with existing prevention efforts, and required cost and manpower,” Schwegman said. “Taking care of our military community is a top priority.”

Mort said the changes can’t come soon enough.

“I’m hoping that enough people make noise,” she said. “I want to see changes because I don’t want any other mom to go through what I’m going through.”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 988.

CrisisText Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.

This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans.