War Secretary Pete Hegseth directed military commanders Thursday to allow service members to carry personal guns on Department of War installations in the United States, stating the Second Amendment also applies to American soldiers.

The order allows service members to formally request to carry privately owned firearms while in their nonofficial capacity on War Department property within the United States.

"Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones—leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed," Hegseth said in a post on X. "That ends today."

The secretary said his new directive orders installation commanders to presume that the guns are necessary for personal protection and comes after several active-shooter incidents occurred on U.S. military installations recently that could have potentially been thwarted if service members were allowed to be armed when off duty.

"The War Department's uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards," Hegseth said. "These warfighters — entrusted with the safety of our nation — are no less entitled to exercise their God-given right to keep and bear arms than any other American.

"Recent events have made clear that some threats are closer to home than we would like," he continued. "In these instances, minutes are a lifetime, and our service members have the courage and training to make those precious short minutes count."

The change comes after two people were shot at an Air Force base in New Mexico last month. One person died. 

Five soldiers were also shot last year on a Georgia Army base, and three people were killed along with eight others injured in a terror attack on a Naval station in Florida in 2019.

"Not all enemies are foreign, nor are they all outside of our borders — some are domestic," Hegseth said. "Confirming your God-given right to self-protection is what I am signing in to action today, and I'm proud to do so."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.