Carrying and Storing A Personal Firearm on a Military Installation

What you need to know about carrying and storing a personal firearm on a military installation or having one while living in post housing!

Can you take or store (such as in base/post housing or in the barracks) a personal weapon/firearm on a Military Installation? The general answer is yes. However, there are certain regulations that you must follow in order to carry or store a personal firearm/weapon.

In general, the firearm must be unloaded and locked in the trunk or in a padlocked container while in the vehicle (it cannot be in the glove box or utility compartment of the vehicle), you must declare it to the gate guard upon entering the installation, it must be registered with the state (most states require that once you move to that state that you register handguns regardless if they have already been registered in another state), and you must also register it through the Military Installation (this is usually done at the MP office). If you live in the barracks, it must be stored in the unit armory. If you live in Military Housing, generally you can keep your weapon in the home; however, it must also be registered with Military Housing.

I must also state here that every Military Installation (Installation Command) is allowed to choose how they wish to regulate the carrying and storing of personal firearms on the Installation, so always check with the Military Installation BEFORE attempting to carry or store a personal weapon within that Installation.

The carrying of concealed weapons on a Military Installation is prohibited.

Most Installations refer to personal weapons as:

• Pistols/Revolver
• Rifles
• Shotguns
• BB/Pellet Guns
• Paint Guns
• Historical type weapons
• Crossbows
• Bows (conventional or compound)
• Spear Guns
• Assault Weapons
• Knives
• +Martial Arts Weapons