US veteran's call to arms after Chattanooga shooting

The shooting deaths of four US Marines in Chattanooga has once again thrust the gun debate into the spotlight. When Medal of Honor winner Dakota Meyer posted a pro-gun message on Facebook, it generated a huge reaction online - illustrating how many here see the issue.

Dakota Meyer's Facebook post, which went online hours after the four US Marines were shot and killed, called for Americans to exercise their Constitutional right to bear arms.

"Now is not the time to come out waving photos of bullet holes in the glass calling for more gun control and spinning the story to yield a further separation of peoples in the United States.

"Now is the time for a call on the American people to finally realise the state of the world we are living in and the enemy that we face," he wrote.

The FBI has not made any conclusions about the motive of the alleged gunman, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez. They do say there is nothing to link him to IS.

Four marines were killed in Thursday's attack

But Meyer, a former Marine who won a medal for his bravery in Afghanistan, equated the attack with the threat posed by the Islamist group.

"I, for one, do not plan to give away my ability to defend myself and those I care about. I carry a firearm with me at all times legally under the conceal and carry laws in the area that I am in," he said.

With more than half a million people sharing the post and nearly as many people liking it, Meyer's words have struck a chord with a large number of Americans. He already has a large social media following in the US, with more than 60,000followers on Twitter.

For decades gun control campaigners have called for restrictions on ownership in the US

"Dakota Meyer, you are correct and it is our right to be able to defend ourselves!," wrote Melinda Palmer Matney, whose sentiments were echoed in a large majority of the more than 67,000 comments.

Rosa Narvaez Every agreed: "Never ever stop looking over your shoulder cause those terrorist might be walking right behind you. No, they are indeed here already, and they have more than one gun."

Many in the US argue increased gun ownership is the way to deal with terror threats

As more people visited the page, many gun control advocates began to share their concerns. "Another gun nut. A tragedy perpetrated by a domestic terrorist occurs, and all he's worried about is protecting his firearms. I am so tired of hearing about 2nd Amendment rights," wrote Thomas Gesswein.

"I have never understood the whole debate about the gun laws and making it harder for someone to get one," was Candice Gorrell's view. "Do people not see that the only ones this will affect are LAW ABIDING CITIZENS? While we are sitting ducks due to our right to protect ourselves being taken away, CRIMINALS and TERRORISTS will continue to have guns, purchase guns, and use guns."

The gun control debate in the US is ubiquitous, but tragedies like Chattanooga push it back into centre stage. Meyer's comments, which came a month after the Charleston shootings, and the same day James Holmes was convicted of the Aurora cinema attack, show just how polarised the conversation is, and how the fear of IS on US soil has brought a new dimension to the discussion.