Did the gate guard stop you from entering base over the weekend? If so, it may be because of your driver's license.

As of this month, all military installations will no longer accept driver’s licenses from Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Washington and American Samoa as proof of identity.

The ban is due to the REAL ID Act of 2005.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Congress began examining how states issue driver's licenses and ID cards when they realized most of the terrorists involved had licenses issued from Virginia and Florida.

Legislators put security measures in place that make the new licenses harder to duplicate or tamper with. The new licenses can also be read by machines that are now located at all DOD facilities and airports. While states do not have to comply with the new rules, if they do not, their citizens may run into headaches, especially when they travel.

Residents of the five states that have yet to comply will not be able to board a flight without an alternate form of identification. The same is true for friends and family of military members who try to visit a military facility. Without an alternate form of ID, such as a passport, they will be turned away at the gate.

Service members, family members, DoD employees, and federal employees with the DoD common access card, DoD uniformed services identification and privileges cards, federal personal identification verification cards or transportation workers’ identification credentials are not affected.

For a full list of facts regarding the new IDs, visit the Department of Homeland Security facts page at: http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs