Hegseth says he will let troops take personal firearms onto military bases
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations.
In a video posted to X , Hegseth said he is signing a memo that will direct base commanders to allow requests for troops to carry privately owned firearms "with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection."
He said any denial of a service member's request must be explained in detail and in writing.
"Effectively, our bases across the country were gun-free zones," Hegseth said. "Unless you're training or unless you are a military policeman, you couldn't carry, you couldn't bring your own firearm for your own personal protection onto post."
Questions about why service members lacked access to weapons have often emerged following shootings on the nation's military bases. Such shootings have ranged from isolated events between service members to mass casualty events, such as the shooting by an Army psychiatrist at Texas' Ford Hood in 2009 that left 13 people dead.
Hegseth cited some of those events in his video, including a shooting that injured five soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia last year. Officials said the shooter, an Army sergeant who worked at the base, used his personal handgun before he was tackled by fellow soldiers and arrested. Army prosecutors say he is seeking to plead guilty to attempted murder and other charges.