On July 22, five citizens armed with AR-15 variants and handguns stood guard outside the Farmington, New Mexico, US Army recruiting center, saying they were there “protecting those who protect us.”

The men watched over the parking lot outside the center, mindful of the tactic alleged gunman Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez used in rolling up on the Chattanooga recruiting center and opening fire from inside his car.

According to the Daily Times, the armed citizens who stood guard were motivated by news of other citizens standing guard at recruiting offices around the country.

One of the men who stood guard in Farmington–James Maxwell–worries that another attack could happen anytime, any place. And for to those who think it would never happen in Farmington he said, “They weren’t expecting anything to happen in Chattanooga [either].”

Because of the military’s gun free zone policies for recruiters, Maxwell said, “They’re sitting ducks here.”

Joined by three anonymous men and Army veteran James Gardenhire, Maxwell said, “People are saying we shouldn’t be here, [and] they’re 100 percent right.” He went on to explain that the military ought to remove the gun free zone policy so recruiters can protect themselves, and that would relieve the burden he feels to be there.

The leader of the Farmington recruiting center is Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Didier. He made clear that “recruiters have been instructed not to acknowledge or interact with the civilians and to let the police know the men are there.”

Breitbart News previously reported that the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) instructed recruiters to avoid contact and/or conversation with armed “law-abiding” civilians who volunteer to guard recruitment centers and to report said volunteers to law enforcement “if the recruiter feels threatened.”

In letter obtained by the military blog This Ain’t Hell, the USAREC issued the following instructions:

Recruiters will not acknowledge the presence or interact with these civilians. If questioned by these alleged concerned citizens; be polite, professional, and terminate the conversation immediately and report the incident to local law enforcement and complete USAREC Form 958 IAW USAREC 190-4 (SIR)

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.