Brady Responds to Hegseth's New Department of Defense Personal Firearm Policy; Warns of Danger

Hegseth’s new firearms policy will undoubtedly lead to an increase in gun suicide and other gun violence on military bases.

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 2, 2026 — Today, the Department of Defense and Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a change in Department of Defense policy, overruling current military installation commanders and allowing most service members at American military installations to possess and carry privately-owned firearms on those properties.

Tanya Schardt, Brady senior counsel and director of state and federal policy, said:

Our military installations are among the most guarded, protected properties in the world, and they’ve never been ‘gun-free zones.’ If there is a problem with violent crime on these installations, then the Secretary of Defense has an obligation to alert the American people and describe how he’s working to prevent that crime. If there’s not a rampant violent crime problem, who and what is this policy for? 

“We know that our nation’s service members and veterans are more likely to die by suicide than their civilian counterparts, so we should be doing everything possible to improve their mental health supports and services – not implementing a policy that solves no discernable problem and has no widespread military support. Before today, commanding officers could set strong rules, befitting the circumstances of their bases, for when personal firearms could be carried on installations. If Mr. Hegseth’s policy means that far more service members on bases have a personal firearm – easily within reach – we will undoubtedly experience an increase in gun suicide and other gun violence.