One may ask, is the greatest problem on a military base that there are not enough people with ready access to guns?
Note to my future self.
Yesterday defense secretary Pete Hegseth invoked God as he expanded access to personal firearms on US military bases.
For over 30 years soldiers could not carry. The order Hegseth signed yesterday says that they can apply, and base commanders must approve or say in detail why not.
Soldiers “are no less entitled to exercise their God-given right to keep and bear arms than any other American,” Hegseth said in his social media post announcing the rule.
Among the most heavily regulated spaces on US soil, with highly trained personnel under extreme pressure, military bases are now ones where there will be more guns under ready access in off-duty situations.
Just one day before Hegseth’s announcement, the Pentagon released its annual study of suicide in the military. 471 service members died by suicide in 2024. This is a drop from 2023 but the long term trend is upwards. The vast majority of those deaths are from firearms. 66% for active duty members. 72% among the reserves. 64% in the National Guard.
Compare that to a 51% rate in the general US population.
One may ask, is the greatest problem on a military base that there are not enough people with ready access to guns?
Notes To My Future Self 