U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on X: “Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones—leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed. That ends today.”
In an accompanying video, Hegseth says, “Our great republic was founded on a simple, yet bold idea. Our rights as citizens are not granted to us by government but instead by God. Two hundred and fifty years ago the Revolutionary War was fought to secure our God-given rights. The Second Amendment to our Constitution enshrines the right of all citizens to carry weapons to protect themselves, their families, and their fellow citizens. 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 cites recent terrorist attacks on service members on American bases and notes that “in these instances, minutes are a lifetime. And our service members have the courage and training to make those precious short minutes count.”
Hegseth next explains that it has been “virtually impossible for War Department personnel to get permission to carry and store their own personal weapons” on American bases. “I mean, effectively, our bases across [the country are] gun-free zones unless you’re training or unless you are a military policeman. You couldn’t carry. You couldn’t bring your own firearm for your personal protection onto post. Well, that’s no longer the case. 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. If a request is denied, then we will explain in detail the basis for that denial. Again, the presumption is service members will be able to have their Second Amendment rights on post.”
The NRA actually asked Hegseth about this several years ago, while Hegseth was still working for FOX News. At the time, he said, “The U.S. Armed Forces have long been very risk averse and bureaucratic, but they should not control, or distrust, the volunteers serving us so much that they strip away their Second Amendment rights. Most of the bases I have served on have banned concealed carry. This never made sense to me. If we can’t trust people who have been recruited, trained to use firearms and much more and entrusted with so much responsibility, then something is very wrong.”
Now, as Secretary of War, Hegseth is putting his understanding of our freedom into action.
“Not all enemies are foreign, nor are they all outside our borders. Some are domestic. Confirming your God-given right to self-protection is what I’m signing into action today,” says Hegseth in the video.
Clearly, those serving in the armed forces are targets for terrorists and foreign adversaries. They need to be able to use the rights they are defending so they can defend themselves.
“Many service members, especially those serving in the infantry and the Special Forces, love to shoot,” Hegseth told the NRA before joining the Trump administration. “They shoot on their own and in training. This is good. It all builds skills. Disarming them … undermine[s] this training and erode[s] the critical warrior mentality we need our troops to embody. The NBA doesn’t recruit players based on some diversity test. They look for the best players and the best players, no doubt, grew up playing on teams, but they also must have practiced a lot on their own. If you want to get ahead, to be one of the best at anything, you have to dedicate your own time to studying that craft. So yes, those who shoot on their own are developing skills. I own AR rifles. I shoot with my kids. It is fun. Shooting is a challenging skill. Shooting is clearly something that is best done often. Our private ownership of arms is certainly part of the reason why America has long had such good soldiers.”
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