Gun Policy and Violence

Hegseth signed a memo, announced in a video on X, directing commanders to permit troops to carry privately owned firearms on U.S. bases with a presumption that carrying is “necessary for personal protection” and requiring any denial to be explained in detail and in writing. He cited recent base shootings — including a 2025 Fort Stewart attack he referenced — to justify the change, while critics such as Brady senior counsel Tanya Schardt warned loosening a policy that dates to the George H.W. Bush era and long required secure on‑base storage could increase suicides and other gun violence amid Pentagon data showing active‑duty suicide rates rose from 2011–2024 (despite a 2024 dip).