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Hegseth Memo Shifts Military Base Carry Policy Toward Armed Self-Defense
AmmoLand ^ | April 7, 2026 | Dean Weingarten

Posted on 04/11/2026 5:40:59 AM PDT by marktwain

On April 2, 2026, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a memo directing installation commanders to respect the Second Amendment rights of our service members on United States Military installations.  Hegseth noted the Constitution is there to protect the rights of all Americans, including the rights of service members, which are protected by the Second Amendment.

The current policies in place in the United States military made it virtually impossible for service members to be able to carry arms for their own protection unless they were military police or in some training exercises. Installation commanders have had the authority to determine who may carry weapons on their installations. Secretary Hegseth directed installation commanders to start with the presumption that a request by a service member to carry a personal weapon for personal protection is valid.“The memo I am signing today directs installation commanders to allow a request for personal protection to carry a privately owned firearm with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection.” Hegseth continued, “If a request is for some reason denied, the reason for that denial will be in writing and will explain in detail the basis for that direction.”

Military bases have been, in effect, gun free zones, where only a very few people, mostly military police, were allowed to be armed. Secretary Hegseth noted recent mass public shooting attacks on military bases at Fort Stewart, Holloman Air Force Base, and Pensacola Naval Air Station.

Online commentary from declared veterans on X was often positive, with comments such as “best Secretary of War ever” and “this should have been done long ago”. Detractors claim there will be a wave of accidental shootings, murders, and suicides as the policy is implemented.

(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: banglist; carry; hegseth; military

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The U.S. Military has been used as a tool to push the concept that only very specific people should be allowed to be armed, at very specific times.

This is a push-back against that concept. It is a good start.

1 posted on 04/11/2026 5:40:59 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain
This is how it should always have been since day one. I was appalled to realize that our military personnel were banned from carrying firearms on the base.

I visited Dover Air Force Base about 15 years ago, and was horrified and disgusted to see this sign:


2 posted on 04/11/2026 5:48:00 AM PDT by rlmorel (Factio Communistica Sinensis Delenda Est)
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To: rlmorel

Impressive sign. Meanwhile ROTC students are stabbing mass shooters to death with a pocket knife. I don’t think they sheltered in place.


3 posted on 04/11/2026 6:04:22 AM PDT by suthener ( I do not like living under our homosexual, ghetto, feminist government.)
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To: marktwain

Seems like common sense...


4 posted on 04/11/2026 6:21:12 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: suthener

As a young GI I drove past too many 18 year-olds guarding the gates while packing. It scared me. A city cop would know everyday he just might need to use his gun. Military bases are big and pretty safe until something bad happens.


5 posted on 04/11/2026 6:27:11 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: marktwain

Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist and Major, killed 13 people and injured over 30 others in a mass shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009.

Hasan, who targeted soldiers at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, was convicted in 2013 of premeditated murder and sentenced to death.

Hasan was shot and paralyzed by civilian police Sergeant Kimberly Munley. He was convicted and sentenced to death, though he remains at Fort Leavenworth.


6 posted on 04/11/2026 6:56:50 AM PDT by Dalberg-Acton
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To: marktwain

Nidal Malik Hasan. Islamic nutjob. Killed 13 and injured 32 people at Foot Hood in 2009. The POS is STILL waiting to be executed!


7 posted on 04/11/2026 7:10:14 AM PDT by Nateman (Democrats did not strive for fraud friendly voting merely to continue honest elections.)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

“As a young GI I drove past too many 18 year-olds guarding the gates while packing. It scared me. A city cop would know everyday he just might need to use his gun. Military bases are big and pretty safe until something bad happens.”

I carried a 1911 on quarterdeck watch many times. My experience with pistols was shooting about 5 rounds in boot camp (prior to enlistment I owned and shot rifles and shotguns, but no pistols). Of course it was not loaded but we carried 2 magazines.


8 posted on 04/11/2026 7:53:32 AM PDT by suthener ( I do not like living under our homosexual, ghetto, feminist government.)
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To: marktwain
Hegseth goes to war for the Second Amendment

04/05/2026 6:12:40 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 32 replies
American Thinker ^ | 5 Apr, 2026 | Mike McDaniel

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4373720/posts


Hegseth Tears Up Controversial Military Base Rule After 34 Years

04/03/2026 2:04:45 PM PDT · by Twotone · 21 replies
The Daily Wire ^ | April 3, 2026 | Virginia Kruta

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4373532/posts

9 posted on 04/11/2026 8:31:41 AM PDT by Paal Gulli
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To: marktwain

During my days in the military, we were told that we could not have a firearm in the barracks, our POV’s (privately owned vehicles for you civilians); or in government quarters unless we registered the weapons with the MPs, and we could only take them from your quarters to immediately off-post for hunting, etc. But, no POVs or in the barracks (which is smart, or it could have looked bad around there on a weekend after a few beers and disagreements!! :-) )


10 posted on 04/11/2026 8:38:51 AM PDT by RetiredArmy (The Bible speaks truth! Don't believe it, you do so at your own peril. You'd better be right!!)
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To: suthener

That’s like my old military buddy. His first job out of the service was guarding a Brinks truck. They handed him a shotgun assuming he knew how to use it because he was black.


11 posted on 04/11/2026 8:46:47 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: DIRTYSECRET

They handed him a shotgun assuming he knew how to use it because he was black.


might it not been because he was in the military?


12 posted on 04/11/2026 8:48:28 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere)
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To: PeterPrinciple

Could be but his military occupational specialty was Race Relations Specialist.


13 posted on 04/11/2026 9:02:42 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: marktwain

.


14 posted on 04/11/2026 9:15:32 AM PDT by redinIllinois (Pro-life, accountant, gun-totin' Grandma - multi issue voter )
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To: suthener

That was a welcome development. Just think of how much money those ROTC students saved their country.


15 posted on 04/11/2026 10:21:28 AM PDT by rlmorel (Factio Communistica Sinensis Delenda Est)
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To: marktwain

When you allow terrorist meatheads like Muzzie Terrorist Nidal Hasan to wander around freely on base, you must allow American soldiers to be able to protect themselves from killers like him. Muzzies are not the friends of America.


16 posted on 04/11/2026 11:27:44 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Illegally "born in the U.S." doesn't make you an American. It makes you a thieving ANCHOR BABY. )
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