Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the directive Thursday, telling installation commanders to accept requests from service members to carry privately owned firearms while off duty.
- The memo requires any denial to be explained in writing and tasks the intelligence and security office to update Manual 5200.08 to build a formal permitting system.
- Authorization applies only to personal weapons outside official duties, and most buildings remain off-limits, with the Pentagon allowing storage in vehicles on the reservation but not carry inside.
- Hegseth said recent on-base shootings at Naval Air Station Pensacola in 2019, Fort Stewart in 2025, and Holloman Air Force Base on March 17 showed the need for faster armed response by trained troops.
- Gun-violence prevention advocates warned the change could raise suicide and other safety risks for service members, and questions remain about training requirements and whether rules will be uniform across the services.