Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memo Thursday that will allow U.S. service members to carry personal firearms on U.S. installations. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
April 3 (UPI) — Off-duty military service members will be permitted to carry personal firearms on U.S. military installations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, citing recent shootings on bases as evidence troops need to be able to defend themselves.
Hegseth announced the policy change in a video statement Thursday, explaining the memo he signed directs installation commanders to approve requests by soldiers to carry personal weapons.
“Uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards. These war fighters 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,” he said.
“Our war fighters defend the right of others to carry, they should be able to carry themselves.”
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
The memo “Non-Official Personal Protection Arming on Department of War Property” has yet to be made publicly available, but a statement from the Department of Defense says the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016 gives the secretary the ability to authorize a member of the armed forces to carry “an appropriate firearm” on the installation they are assigned to if the commander deems it is necessary as a protective measure.
It also states that the installation commander must apply “a presumption of approval” when considering a request.
“Again, the presumption is service members will be able to have their Second Amendment right on post,” Hegseth said in the video.
The memo states uniformed personnel who work at the Pentagon may also apply to carry personal firearms though not within the actual building but they must be allowed to store their firearm in a vehicle on the Pentagon Reservation, according to the Defense Department statement.
Hegseth cited the January 2020 shooting at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., that killed three sailors and injured eight others, the August 2025 shooting at Fort Stewart, Ga., that killed six soldiers; and the March domestic-related shooting earlier this year at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico as reasons personal protection is needed.
“Some threats are closer to home than we’d like,” he said. “In these instances minutes are a lifetime and our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count.”
Tanya Schardt, senior counsel and director of state and federal policy at Brady Unite, a U.S. nonprofit gun violence prevention organization, criticized the move, warning that it could lead to an increase in death by suicide among U.S. service members.
“If Mr. Hegseth’s policy means that far more service members on bases have a personal firearm — easily within reach — we will undoubtedly experience an increase in gun suicide and other gun violence,” she said in a statement.
“We know that our nation’s service members and veterans are more likely to die by suicide than their civilian counterparts, so we should be doing everything possible to improve their mental health and supports and services — not implementing a policy that solves no discernible problem and has no widespread military support.”
