MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth brought the Second Amendment home to East Tennessee, and on Sunday morning he put it on video for the whole country. “The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” Hegseth posted with new footage from his Saturday stop at Smith & Wesson, the iconic American gunmaker that moved its headquarters to Maryville in 2023.
“We’re not in the 1776 business at the War Department, we’re in the 1775 business,” the Secretary told Smith & Wesson’s team, a nod to the year American Patriots first stood their ground at Lexington and Concord. “And it was that right to bear arms that was enshrined at the beginning because freedom is protected because you’re able to do so as free citizens, armed and able to defend yourselves, but most importantly, as you all know, to check tyranny.”
The visit was a stop on Hegseth’s Arsenal of Freedom Tour, the War Department’s drive to rebuild America’s defense manufacturing base. “Thank you for the history of what Smith & Wesson has done for the military,” he said. “We’re certainly eager and interested in any other ways that we can work together. We’re opening the aperture to make sure that wherever American-made companies, American manufacturing can be elevated, we want that at our department.”
“To be able to come here, see a quintessentially American company on a quintessentially American principle, it’s cool for me to be able to see it,” Hegseth said. “Thanks for upholding the Second Amendment. Thanks for living out what it means to be an American.” He also saluted the lawmakers at his side, “senators and congressmen here too that represent you so very well in Tennessee.” Sen. Bill Hagerty and Rep. Tim Burchett joined the tour. “Faith, Freedom, and the Second Amendment go hand in hand here in Tennessee,” Hagerty posted.
Tennesseans who stand with the Second Amendment can stand up at the ballot box, too. Early voting runs through Thursday, Oct. 29, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Bring a current or expired photo ID issued by the federal or Tennessee state government, and find your early voting site and sample ballot at GoVoteTN.gov. Watch Secretary Hegseth at Smith & Wesson in the video above.
