Service Members Deserve the Right to Protect Themselves on Base

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took a big step toward restoring common sense this month. Armed service members can now apply to carry their private guns while off duty on base with the help of a memorandum called “Non-Official Personal Protection Arming on Department of Defense Property.” This might seem like just another bureaucratic policy tweak but to those who have are serving or have served see it’s imperative.

The Second Amendment isn’t confined to foreign battlefields or off-base housing. When we drive through the main gate, we remain American citizens and our fundamental rights come with us.

Military life has long been defined by a glaring inconsistency. We take young Americans, mold them into disciplined warriors through intense weapons training, and send them into combat where split-second decisions can mean survival or death. Yet back on base, we’ve historically forced them to go unarmed and vulnerable to whatever dangers might arise.

That made little sense before. Today, with evolving threats at home, it’s simply indefensible.

Secretary Hegseth’s directive confronts this head-on. He rightly pointed to tragic incidents that exposed the vulnerabilities of “gun-free” policies on installations: the 2019 terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola, where a jihadist gunman killed three sailors and wounded eight more; the August 2025 shooting at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in which five soldiers were wounded by one of their own using a personal handgun; and the March 2026 incident at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, that left one person dead and another injured.

These attacks didn’t happen in distant war zones. They unfolded right here in the United States, on bases meant to be secure sanctuaries for our troops and their families.

The lesson is sobering. Modern threats don’t respect base perimeters or outdated regulations. As someone who served as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps in combat, then transitioned to law enforcement as a SWAT officer, and now works in executive protection here in California, I’ve learned that danger rarely announces itself. It strikes when people are least prepared.

Opponents of this change warn that more firearms could heighten risks on base. But that concern misses the mark entirely. These are not average citizens walking in off the street. Service members undergo extensive background vetting, firearms proficiency training, and live under the strict accountability of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The real risk has always been disarming the very people we trust with lethal force overseas. In each of the cited tragedies, victims and bystanders were left helpless by policy while attackers ignored every rule. So-called gun-free zones don’t deter evil — they invite it. Time and again, we’ve seen that a determined defender with a firearm is the most effective response to a violent threat.

If we equip our troops to defend the nation in hostile environments abroad, denying them the tools to safeguard themselves and their loved ones at home is not just inconsistent,  it’s unjust.

Service members aren’t liabilities; they are assets. They know their bases intimately. When seconds separate tragedy from survival, waiting for military police to arrive isn’t always enough. Trained, responsible personnel on the scene can make all the difference.

For years, policy lagged both reality and basic logic. Secretary Hegseth’s memorandum finally aligns our approach with the Constitution and the character of those who wear the uniform. It recognizes that bearing arms responsibly is a right and a duty that doesn’t switch off at the gate.

As a combat veteran who has spent years in high-stakes security roles, I have full confidence in my fellow service members. They have repeatedly proven their discipline and judgment under the most extreme conditions. Extending that trust to personal protection on base is not reckless — it’s overdue and entirely appropriate.

Our warriors protect America. It’s time we let them protect their own.