Fixed weapon emplacements include ballistic weapon stands having heights sufficient to protect standing gunners in combination with tripods, which are fixed thereto with welded connections. In a first embodiment, the tripod has two legs fixed to a weapon platform and to the base of the ballistic weapons stand and a third leg fixed to the weapon platform and to a weld plate on a front armor plate of the stand. In a second embodiment, the third leg of the tripod is provided by a strut that extends through a slot in the front armor plate and is welded to both a weld plate behind the front armor plate and to the weapon platform. In a third embodiment, the tripod has one leg fixed to the base of the weapon stand and two legs welded to a weld plate behind the front armor panel to support the weapon platform. In a fourth embodiment, a hood projects from the front armor plate with a front leg of the tripod fixed to the base at a location within the hood and rear legs of the tripod fixed to the base. A universal base is provided wherein either a single leg of the tripod is attached to the base adjacent to the front armor plate or a pair of legs of the tripod is attached to the same base adjacent to the front armor plate. In any of the embodiments the weapon platform at the top of the tripod is mounted on the tripod by utilizing three sleeves that receive top portions of three straight legs of the tripod.