OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
6:41 AM – Saturday, April 4, 2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum to allow War Department personnel to request permission to carry privately owned firearms on military installations in the United States.
In a video posted by the Department of War on X Thursday, Hegseth argued that military bases have been effectively turned into “gun-free zones,” infringing on service members’ Second Amendment right to bear arms. He also pointed out the irony that the most highly trained individuals are the ones prohibited from carrying arms.
“The War Department’s uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards,” he stated. “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.”
“Our war fighters defend the right of others to carry. They should be able to carry, themselves,” he added.
The secretary cited various shootings at military bases across the country as proof that military personnel would benefit from the freedom to arm and protect themselves while on base.
The list included an event at the U.S. Army base, Fort Stewart, last August, in which Army Sergeant Quornelius Radford opened fire with a personal handgun inside a logistics/supply unit, shooting and wounding four soldiers and his civilian boyfriend, though all five survived.
He also referred to the Holloman Air Force Base this March when a gunman shot and killed one military veteran and injured an active-duty airman at a base convenience store.
Finally, he mentioned the attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola in 2019, carried out by Saudi Air Force officer in training Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. Alshamrani killed three U.S. Navy sailors and wounded 8 others whom he shot inside an on-base classroom.
“In these instances, minutes are a lifetime,” he said. “And our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count.”
He explained that it was “virtually impossible” for service members and personnel to obtain permission to carry and store their personal weapons on military installations.
Military police are often the only armed individuals on base, except for shooting ranges, hunting areas, or in training exercises. Typically, military personnel would be required to check their guns out of storage to use them for on-base sanctioned uses, and would need to check all weapons back in promptly afterwards.
“The memo I’m signing today directs installation commanders to allow requests for personal protection — to carry a privately-owned firearm — with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection,” he declared.
Should a request be denied, the memo would require that the denial be in writing, providing clear reasoning.
“The presumption is service members will be able to have their Second Amendment right on-post,” Hegseth said.
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