Holiday Leave Canceled After Pair Of High-Power Rifles Go Missing From ‘Training Area’ At NC Camp Lejeune Say Marines

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC. (THECOUNT) — Marines with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, are actively searching for two rifles that have gone missing during a training exercise at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the Marine Corps confirmed on Friday morning.

Officials did not indicate the model of missing long guns, or how long they’ve been gone.

“Marines are, and have been, actively searching for these weapons, which went missing in a training area aboard Camp Lejeune,” 1st Lt. Dan Linfante, a spokesman for the 2nd Marine Division, told Marine Corps Times, in a Friday morning email.

Unconfirmed online rumors say that the rifles were taken from the sleeping bags of a lieutenant and corporal, and that Marines are being prevented from going on a holiday leave block until the search is complete and the rifles are recovered, reports MarineCorpsTimes.

As of 11:56 a.m. Friday, NCIS had not responded to requests for comment on the situation.

“NCIS is conducting an active investigation at this time,” the Linfante said. “As such, further comment would be speculative.”

“Accountability is key – and trained to often – in 2d Marine Division,” Linfante said.

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Geo quick facts: Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a 246-square-mile United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The base’s 14 miles of beaches make it a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports allows for fast deployments – Wikipedia.