War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he was lifting a ban on service members from carrying personal firearms on military bases.
“Our great republic was founded on a simple yet bold idea: our rights as citizens are not granted to us by government, but instead by God. Two hundred fifty years ago, the Revolutionary War was fought to secure our God-given rights,” Hegseth said. “The Second Amendment to our Constitution enshrines the right of all citizens to carry weapons to protect themselves, their families, and their fellow countrymen.”
“Our warfighters defend the right of others to carry; they should be able to carry themselves,” he added. “Recent events, like what happened at Fort Stewart, Holloman Air Force Base, or Pensacola Naval Air Station, have made clear that some threats are closer to home than we would like.” Hegseth explained that “minutes are a lifetime, and our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count.”
U.S. bases were effectively “gun-free zones,” he noted. “Unless you’re training or unless you are a military policeman, you couldn’t carry—you couldn’t bring your own firearm for your own personal protection onto post. Well, that’s no longer the case.”
“The memo I’m signing today directs installation commanders to allow requests for personal protection to carry a privately owned firearm, with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection,” Hegseth said. “If a request is, for some reason, denied, the reason for that denial will be in writing and will explain in detail the basis for that decision.”
