Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday that military installations will no longer be “gun-free zones.”
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum directing military installation commanders to allow War Department personnel — namely, uniformed service members — to request to carry privately owned firearms while in their nonofficial duty capacity on DOW property within the United States,” a press release from the Department of War read.
“Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones—leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed. That ends today,” Hegseth wrote on X.
“The War Department’s uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards. 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,” Hegseth said in a video announcement.
“Specifically, Hegseth mentioned the Dec. 9, 2019, terrorist attack at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, which killed three men and injured eight others; the Aug. 6, 2025, shooting and wounding of five soldiers by one of their fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia; and the shooting of two individuals — one whom died — at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, as recently as March 17,” the release read.
Watch the announcement below:
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
More from the Department of War:
The memo to senior Pentagon leadership, defense agency and War Department field activity directors titled “Non-Official Personal Protection Arming on Department of War Property,” states that the new policy is consistent with section 526 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016.
That section of the FY16 NDAA reads that the secretary of [war] “may authorize a member of the armed forces who is assigned to duty at the installation, center or facility to carry an appropriate firearm on the installation, center, or facility if the commander determines that carrying such a firearm is necessary as a personal, or force protection measure.”
The memo goes on to state that the undersecretary of war for intelligence and security will be responsible for updating War Department Manual 5200.08 — the document that lays out physical security measures for DOW, and that will authorize permitting officials to review service member requests to carry personally owned firearms.
The memo also makes clear that, when considering personal carry applications, permitting officials must apply “a presumption of approval.”
According to Fox News, service members were previously not permitted to conceal and carry a weapon on federal sites, which include military installations.
“Carrying on post was often restricted to military police, security and personnel on official duty,” the outlet wrote.
Hegseth: Military Bases Are No Longer Gun-Free Zoneshttps://t.co/Hzl9DbGolq
— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) April 2, 2026
Fox News noted:
Hegseth did not specify if training or certification will be required, or if storage and transport of weapons will be regulated.
It is also unclear if there will be uniform rules across all military branches.
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