Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the directive Thursday, allowing service members to apply to carry privately owned firearms while off duty on U.S. military installations.
- Permitting officials must treat applications with a presumption of approval, and any denial must be issued in writing with specific reasons.
- The memo cites Section 526 of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act as its legal basis and tasks officials with updating War Department Manual 5200.08 to spell out procedures.
- For the Pentagon complex, the policy bars carrying inside the building but instructs police to fairly consider storage of personal firearms in vehicles on the Pentagon Reservation.
- Hegseth framed the move as a response to base shootings in Pensacola, Fort Stewart, and Holloman, while critics warned of suicide risks and noted the memo is not yet public and key training and storage rules remain unclear.