Secretary of War Signs Memo Ending Gun-Free Zone Policy on Military Bases, Restoring Second Amendment Rights for Service Members
Key Takeaways
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a directive allowing service members to carry privately owned firearms for personal protection.
- The new policy presumes approval for carrying firearms, reversing the previous effectively gun-free zone.
- Hegseth cites recent incidents as reasons for the change, emphasizing the need for trained personnel to have access to firearms.
- The directive aligns personal carry permissions with state laws at each installation.
- This policy shift is viewed as a correction for the Second Amendment rights of those who serve.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a directive this week that ends what he called an effectively gun-free zone policy across War Department installations, allowing uniformed service members to request permission to carry privately owned firearms for personal protection.
Hegseth announced the policy change in a video posted to X, framing the move as a restoration of a fundamental constitutional right that had long been denied to the military’s own personnel. Under the previous system, carrying a personal firearm on post was described as “virtually impossible” for most service members unless they were actively training or serving as military police.
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 new memo directs installation commanders to presume that a service member’s request to carry a privately owned firearm is necessary for personal protection. If a request is denied, the denial must be in writing and must explain in detail the basis for that decision. The default position is now approval, not refusal.
Hegseth pointed to recent incidents at Fort Stewart, Holloman Air Force Base, and Pensacola Naval Air Station as examples of why the change is necessary. He noted that in those situations, “minutes are a lifetime,” and that trained war fighters have both the courage and the skill to respond when threats arise close to home.
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“Our war fighters defend the right of others to carry,” Hegseth said. “They should be able to carry themselves.” He also emphasized that the policy aligns personal carry permissions with the state laws where each installation operates. The directive covers both carry and storage of privately owned firearms on post.
For the millions of Americans who believe the Second Amendment is a fundamental civil right, this policy shift is a long-overdue correction. The men and women who defend that right for every American citizen will now be able to exercise it themselves, on the very installations where they serve.
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