Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced a sweeping policy change restoring the right of U.S. service members to carry privately owned firearms on military installations for personal protection.
The announcement marks a dramatic reversal of longstanding Department of War policy that effectively stripped America’s warfighters of their Second Amendment rights the moment they stepped onto base.
On Thursday, Hegseth signed a historic memorandum that officially restores the God-given right of our nation’s warfighters to keep and bear arms for self-defense while on post.
For decades, the very men and women we train to defend our borders were forced to disarm the moment they stepped onto a U.S. military installation, leaving them sitting ducks for terrorists and deranged shooters.
Hegseth, a combat veteran who understands the reality of a firefight, didn’t mince words in his announcement. He highlighted the absolute failure of the previous “victim disarmament” policies that led to tragedies at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fort Stewart, and Holloman Air Force Base.
Under the new directive, installation commanders are now required to allow requests for personal protection carry. Unlike the previous bureaucratic nightmare, the new rule creates a presumption of necessity.
If a commander dares to deny a service member’s right to protect themselves, they must now provide a detailed explanation in writing.
Pete Hegseth:
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. The Second Amendment to our Constitution enshrines the right of all citizens to carry weapons to protect themselves, their families, and their fellow countrymen.
The War Department’s uniformed service members are trained at the highest and most unwavering standards. These warfighters, entrusted with the safety of our nation, are no less entitled to exercise their God-given right to keep and bear arms than any other American.
Our warfighters defend the right of others to carry; they should be able to carry themselves. 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.
In these instances, minutes are a lifetime, and our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count. Before today, it was virtually impossible—most people probably don’t know this—it was virtually impossible for War Department personnel to get permission to carry and store their own personal weapons aligned with the state laws where we operate our installations.
I mean, effectively, our bases across the country were gun-free zones. 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. 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.
Again, the presumption is that service members will be able to exercise their Second Amendment right on post. Not all enemies are foreign, nor are they all outside our border—some are domestic.
Confirming your God-given right to self-protection is what I’m signing into action today, and I’m proud to do so.
WATCH:
Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones—leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed.
That ends today. pic.twitter.com/IQ204YepZ0
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) April 2, 2026
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