Concerned civilians are taking up arms and acting as public body guards for recruitment centers in Wisconsin, Georgia, Idaho and Tennessee. While recruiters appreciate the enthusiasm, they have been instructed by Army officials to treat those armed civilians as security threats.

In a U.S. Army Recruiting Command letter issued Monday, soldiers were advised to avoid civilians offering armed protection and report their presence to the police.

“I’m sure the citizens mean well, but we cannot assume this in every case and we do not want to advocate this behavior,” the letter stated. The letter continued to instruct soldiers to, “Ensure your recruiters clearly articulate to local police the civilian may be armed and in possession of a conceal/carry permit.”

The Army is not the only military branch discouraging the presence of armed civilians at recruitment centers. A Navy official told CNN that recruiters may simply avoid showing up at recruitment centers and work from home. The Marine Corps has also issued a statement that asked citizens to leave security to local first responders.

Citizens began bringing lawnchairs and firearms to recruitment centers after an armed man attacked a recruitment center in Chattanooga and killed five unarmed servicemen.