On April 2, 2026, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a memo directing installation commanders to respect the Second Amendment rights of our service members on United States Military installations. Hegseth noted the Constitution is there to protect the rights of all Americans, including the rights of service members which are protected by the Second Amendment.
The current policies in place in the United States military made it virtually impossible for service members to be able to carry arms for their own protection unless they were military police or in some training exercises. Installation commanders have had the authority to determine who may carry weapons on their installations. Secretary Hegseth directed installation commanders to start with the presumption that a request by a service member to carry a personal weapon for personal protection is valid. From the video:
"The memo I am signing today directs installation commanders to allow a request for personal protection to carry a privately owned firearm with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection. 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 direction."
Military bases have been, in effect, gun free zones, where only a very few people, mostly military police, were allowed to be armed. Secretary Hegseth noted recent mass public shooting attacks on military bases at Ft. Stewart, Holloman Air Force Base, and Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Online commentary from declared veterans on X was often positive, with comments such as "best Secretary of War ever" and "this should have been done long ago". Detractors claim there will be a wave of accidental shootings, murders, and suicides as the policy is implemented.
War fighters will be required to follow the laws of the states where they are stationed. 29 states do not currently require a permit to carry handguns, concealed or openly. 21 states require a permit to do so. At present, only a few states allow concealed carry by persons under the age of 21. The memo applies to service members "..in their nonofficial duty capacity on DOW property within the United States." The question of Second Amendment rights for 18, 19, and 20 year old people is being adjudicated in the courts.
In 2015, Donald Trump promised a similar policy. In 2018, this correspondent explained how the policy was neutered by the military bureaucracy in an article entitiled Defiance through Compliance. The complex mechanisms set up in the military bureaucracy made it virtually impossible for the vast majority of service members to be able to carry arms for defense of self and others, except in an active war zone. All of the incentives were biased against commanders allowing their service members to be armed.
As Secretary of War Hegseth noted, our military bases inside the United States can be targeted in asymmetrical warfare. Casualties at a United States military base inside the United States could be higher than the minimal casualties which have occurred in operation Epic Fury abroad.
Analysis:
People who have obtained concealed carry permits have proved to be more law abiding than police officers in the same jurisdictions. Military personnel who are willing to submit a request to their commanding officer in order to be able to carry personal arms for defense of themselves and others are likely to exhibit the same level of responsibility.
Most mass public shootings take place where the attacker knows most people are not allowed to carry defensive weapons. The memo from Secretary of State Hegseth is designed to remove military bases from that category. The memo directs commanders to assume the need to carry for protection is legitimate. The incentives should become biased toward the protection of the right to bear arms.
Future memos might include retired military members, veterans, or simply those with carry permits among those allowed to carry on military bases. Retired police officers have a mechanism to carry nationwide. An increase in armed defenders increases the odds one or more will be available to defend against an attack.
©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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