War Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a directive Thursday allowing military personnel to carry personal firearms on bases, ending a decades-old policy that left service members defenseless during multiple deadly shootings on American installations.
New Armed Forces Policy Takes Effect
The policy change permits troops to request permission to carry privately owned firearms on military installations with a presumption that personal protection is necessary. Previously, service members could only carry weapons during training or while serving as military police, effectively creating gun-free zones across American military bases. Hegseth emphasized that denials must now be issued in writing with full explanations, reversing the near-impossible approval process that existed before.
In a video announcement posted to social media, Hegseth cited the December 2019 attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, where a gunman killed three service members and wounded eight others. The War Secretary noted that in such emergencies, minutes become lifetimes, and trained military personnel possess the courage and skills to respond effectively when seconds count.
Constitutional Rights Restored for Warfighters
Hegseth defended the change by pointing out the contradiction of denying Second Amendment rights to those entrusted with national security. War Department personnel will now be able to carry and store personal weapons in alignment with state laws governing each installation’s location. The secretary stated that confirming God-given rights to self-protection motivated his decision to sign the directive.
Reversing Bush-Era Restrictions
The previous firearms ban traces back to regulations implemented under President George H.W. Bush in the early 1990s. Critics have challenged the policy after every shooting incident on military property, arguing that highly trained service members should not be left defenseless on American soil. The new directive recognizes that military personnel maintain rigorous training standards and face the same self-defense needs as civilian Americans exercising their constitutional rights.