It gets curiouser and curiouser in Trump world today. Pam Bondi went the way of all flesh, then Pete Hegseth decided to fire Army Chief Of Staff General Randy George before the end of his term. General George was slated to serve until 2027, but no more. Then, while the ink was barely dry on that press release, comes the information that Hegseth is allowing an open carry on military bases. Â
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a new policy on Thursday to allow active servicemembers to put in a request to carry their own personal firearms with them on military installations — proclaiming it to be a “God-given right.”
“Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones — leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed. That ends today,” Hegseth wrote in a post to X accompanying a video detailing the announcement.
The new policy from Hegseth, who styles himself “Secretary of War” due to an executive order by President Donald Trump, was met with enthusiasm by MAGA and gun-rights accounts, but derision from many others.
“Troops can now request to carry their own personal firearms on base for personal protection, without having to explain why they need to protect themselves on base,” wrote Reuters chief national security correspondent Phil Stewart.
“If someone is not safe on a military base with armed guards, fences, walls, a personal police force, everyone who comes on base has their id checked, needs a sponsor if non military then we are truly screwed as a country,” wrote California congressional candidate Eric Garcia.
“Hegseth is telling us here that God gave us our legal rights as Americans including gun rights,” wrote USC Center on Communication Leadership and Policy senior fellow Barbara Starr. “He might be interested in some of the military concerns about the relationship between having personal weapons on base and suicide rates.”
“Obsessed with every culture war issue while an actual war is stalled out overseas and his boss just gave a complete belly-flop of a speech on it,” wrote The Atlantic staff writer and former Naval War College professor Tom Nichols.
“We are fighting a war in the Middle East and this clown is in his office doing these ridiculous videos instead of coordinating with allies or a myriad of other tasks,” wrote Missouri congressional candidate and Army combat veteran Fred Wellman. “All he cares about is a political agenda. Our troops must have a real leader immediately. Hegseth must go.”
According to Las Vegas bookies, Hegseth is the next to go, ahead of even Tulsi Gabbard. What will be his *crime?* I say embarrassing Trump. Hegseth is good on TV, which Pam Bondi never was, so that won’t be his fatal flaw. Hegseth is loyal (again, Bondi’s loyalty came into question) so it won’t be that. What will it be?
The answer lies in Trump needing a fall guy for the Iran war. Watch Hegseth become that fall guy.
The M.P.s are gonna love this. NOT!!! I shudder at drunken troops playing “quick draw” with loaded weapons, or engaging in shooting contests at what they deem a ‘safe spot’ on the base. Or resisting arrest after a fight in an e-club (common), or some drunk driver who knows they’re fucked if they get arrested and written up for DUI. Conviction at even Summary Court Martial carries the same weight as a civilian felony conviction on someone’s record and drunken troops are more likely to engage in antics that merit a Summary, or even Special or General Court Martial if they start shooting during an arrest.
I’ll bet that just like the NRA won’t allow people to even concealed carry at their anncual convention, troops who want to or are ordered to attend one of Petey Boy’s rah-rah pep talks get ordered to leave their personal weapons in their barracks/rooms. AND will get searched. Disarmed if they ignore the order, and possibly even brought up on charges of disobeying a direct order.