Ever since Alabama passed a law allowing permitless carry, more and more people have been getting arrested for bringing guns onto Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
Since the start of 2023, when the new law took effect, 99 people have been arrested for illegally bringing firearms onto the military base, according to Redstone officials. And the rate of arrests has been going up each year since.
“I wish I could tell you why it’s still an issue,” said Dennis Brown, deputy police chief at Redstone Arsenal. “I really don’t know. We have been very aggressive with getting the information out.”
When asked why the rate of these arrests at Redstone is so much higher than other, larger bases in Alabama, Brown explained that he believes it is because 98% of Redstone’s population is non-military personnel and commute into the base for work. He also emphasized Redstone’s proactive nature in addressing the issue.
The 38,000-acre Redstone Arsenal is a highly secure U.S. Army installation. According to government websites, the base serves as the Army’s center for missile and rocket programs, and also hosts the FBI, the Marshall Space Flight Center operated by NASA, and a total of 75 federal tenant agencies.
The website notes that there are over 50,000 civilian and contract employees that work on the base compared to only 700 active duty soldiers.
Under federal law, it’s illegal to bring a gun onto a military base. The charge is a federal misdemeanor, and for most, it can be as simple as handling a speeding violation, with a mandatory court appearance and paying a fine of around $500. More severe cases can see heavier fines or even prison time.
The majority of the heftier charges come from instances where the gun violation is paired with something more severe according to both Brown and federal court records. Brown pointed out possession of narcotics, outstanding tickets and warrants and drunk driving as common cases.
Brown further explained that many of the charges are against individuals who do not work at the post at all. Many are external contractors or people who are lost. The people who work at the garrison are well aware of the rule and that only licensed weapons can be brought on-site under specific circumstances, he said.
But even in the simpler cases, these violations can be especially problematic for federal employees who can lose their jobs if they are charged with a crime or even lose their security clearance.
Visitors and employees have to go through strict checkpoints in order to get onto the base.
Brown said that when someone drives up to the gate, guards will ask if the individual has a firearm and give them the chance to turn around if so. A charge can only be brought if the person says no and is proven wrong by a random or justified check, or if the guard can clearly see otherwise.
Brown explained that each day, a random number is selected. If the number is eight, every eighth vehicle that “comes through the gate, is pulled over for an extra security check,” he said.
Alabama law
Beginning in January of 2023, Alabama made it legal for anyone 19 or older to carry a gun without a pistol permit. Since the passing of the bill, Brown said, the security team at Redstone has tightened up safety measures, which may have further contributed to the spike in the number of arrests. State law doesn’t trump the federal ones that prohibit guns on the base.
Brown says that in fiscal year 2023, there were 17 arrests made for weapons. In fiscal year 2024, there were 45. And as of this week, there have already been 37 arrests in the 2025 fiscal year. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1-Sept. 30.
Brown also disclosed that between 2020 and 2022, there were only five total arrests on the charge. He attributed this rate to COVID regulations, less strict safety measures, and the stricter gun laws at the time.
Brown added that he believes Redstone’s reminders to leave guns at home aren’t getting to the right people. This comes despite repeated messaging through Redstone press releases and multiple local news reports.
Furthermore, Brown highlighted that messaging concerning the risk of bringing a firearm onto the premises is highlighted at the Visitors Center, and that billboards outside of all entrances, often large and flashing, further emphasize this risk.
‘That was my mistake’
The charge falls under a federal law that enforces codes on U.S. military bases to ensure security and minimize disruptions. In Redstone’s case, this charge often constitutes bringing a firearm onto the premises.
There have been 155 documented cases of the violation, according to court records, since the start of Redstone Police’s 2023 fiscal year. Ninety-nine of these cases involved gun possession, according to Chief Brown. The additional violations can come from things like DUIs, drug possession, or existing warrants.
“The majority of excuses are that ‘oh, I forgot I had it in the vehicle,‘” Brown explained. He added that other cases are people looking to make a quick stop at the on-site gym or store.
One retired military officer was arrested for carrying a gun on the base in early 2025. He told AL.com he was visiting the commissary for food before being stopped unexpectedly. The case was eventually dismissed despite him being held in jail for five days.
“It was bull, I’ve never been in trouble before. I’m sitting there telling you how it is, but they didn’t care what I was saying,” he said. “Of course I had never been to jail. I still have dreams about it.”
Another man who was arrested in the summer of 2023 told AL.com that he went on the base to pick up a friend. He said he wasn’t thinking about the gun in his car.
“To get the visitor’s pass, you have to fill out some paperwork. I flipped through it quickly because I was trying to get my friend on time,” he said. “That was my mistake.”
When asked at the gate, he said he told the guard, “yes, I have weapons in the car. I can turn around.”
He said he wasn’t given the chance to turn around and was arrested and held on the base for multiple hours.
A month and a half later, later, prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss his case, court records show.
“They don’t have to worry about me again,” he said. “I’m gonna keep staying far as hell away from that base.”
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