Photo: Alamy
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday directed military commanders to allow service members to request permission to carry privately owned firearms on U.S. military installations while off duty.
The directive instructs commanders to consider such requests under a presumption that firearms may be needed for personal protection. The policy applies to service members in a nonofficial capacity on domestic bases.
“Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones—leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed,” Hegseth said in a post on X. “That ends today.”
Hegseth said the change reflects a belief that service members should retain their constitutional rights, including those outlined in the Second Amendment.
“The War Department’s uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards,” he said. “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.”
The policy follows several recent shooting incidents on U.S. bases, including one last month at an Air Force installation in New Mexico that left one person dead and another injured. Previous incidents include a 2019 attack at a naval air station in Florida that killed three people and wounded others, and a 2025 shooting at an Army base in Georgia that injured multiple soldiers.
“Recent events have made clear that some threats are closer to home than we would like,” Hegseth said. “In these instances, minutes are a lifetime, and our service members have the courage and training to make those precious short minutes count.”
Military installations have historically maintained strict rules limiting privately owned firearms on base, citing safety and security concerns. Officials have not yet released detailed guidance on how commanders will evaluate individual requests under the new policy.