The National Academies value the safety and well-being of its employees and visitors and is committed to providing a safe working environment in its facilities. As part of that commitment, National Academies policy prohibits employees from possessing dangerous or unauthorized materials, including guns or firearms, in the workplace. All other individuals, except as specifically provided herein, are prohibited from carrying or possessing guns or firearms of any type in National Academies facilities, including buildings, parking garages, and parking lots, as well outdoor spaces that are part of the premises. 

The term gun or firearm includes any device which is designated to fire a bullet, pellet, shot, flare, spear, or other projectile. This includes, but is not limited to, handguns, rifles, pistols, shotguns, revolvers, and cannons made of any material, including those made with 3D printers and similar technology, whether loaded or unloaded, as well as the ammunition for these devices.

This policy does not apply to authorized law enforcement personnel, military personnel, and individuals who are in the business of transporting mail or money (such as armed guards), and U.S. agency personnel. This authorization is limited to United States federal, state, and local employees vested by their agency to carry a weapon and who are invited into National Academies facilities in their official capacity, to the extent that these individuals are legally permitted to possess firearms in the jurisdiction in which the National Academies facilities are located, provided that the firearms are secured so as to prevent access to or removal of them by unauthorized persons.

The National Academies reserves the right to exclude from its facilities any person who does not comply with this policy and to take all other actions it deems appropriate to enforce it.

Revised April 22, 2022