National Guard in Washington D.C. to Carry Firearms Amid Trump’s Crime Crackdown

The U.S. National Guard troops deployed in Washington D.C. to support President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown initiative will begin carrying weapons, according to two officials. 

The troops will be equipped with M17 pistols or M4 rifles, though the exact number of armed personnel remains unspecified. 

The officials, speaking anonymously noted that the weapons are for self-protection and will only be used as a last resort in response to imminent threats.

Hundreds of unarmed National Guard troops have been in Washington’s streets for the past two weeks after Trump declared a crime emergency in the district. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week authorized the troops to carry weapons.

The Guard’s Joint Task Force-DC said in a written statement on Sunday that its personnel would only use force “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.”

Reuters