Hegseth Eases Rule on Carrying Privately Owned Guns on Military Bases

Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum Thursday allowing Department of War personnel—specifically uniformed service members—to carry privately owned firearms while off duty on military installations, subject to approval.

“Before today, 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. … Well, that’s no longer,” Hegseth said during a social media video.

“The War Department’s uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards,” Hegseth 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.”

High-profile shootings at military installations have fueled debate over whether service members should be allowed to carry personal firearms on base.

Hegseth mentioned several shootings on military installations, including a 2025 incident at Fort Stewart in Georgia where a soldier shot and wounded five others, a March 2026 shooting at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico that left one person dead, and the 2019 attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida that killed three U.S. service members.

“Not all enemies are foreign, nor are they all outside of our borders—some are domestic,” Hegseth said.

The memo also makes clear that when considering personal carry applications, permitting officials must apply “a presumption of approval.”

“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],” Hegseth said.

“Again, the presumption is service members will be able to have their Second Amendment right on post,” he said.

A 2016 directive set the Defense Department’s rules for who could carry firearms, when they could be armed, and how force could be used on military property.

It allowed military police, security personnel, investigators and certain other authorized personnel to carry firearms for official duties and required written approval. It also created a process for service members and civilian employees to request permission to carry privately owned firearms on base for protection, but only under certain conditions.

As a default rule, privately owned firearms on Defense Department property were prohibited unless specifically permitted.

Hegseth’s memo updates guidance in War Department Manual 5200.08 and references the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act section 526.