War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the end of a 34-year policy designating US military installations as gun-free zones. In a video statement on April 2, 2026, he declared, “That ends today,” and signed a memorandum allowing service members to request permission to carry personal firearms off duty. The change overrides state firearm regulations and presumes such requests are necessary for personal protection.
Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, signed a memorandum directing base commanders to approve requests from service members to carry privately owned firearms while off duty. This policy shift eliminates restrictions from Department of Defense Directive 5210.56, which had been in place since February 1992 and limited on-base carrying to law enforcement and security personnel only. Hegseth shared a video on X, stating, “Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones—leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed.”
