National Guard troops deployed to Washington this month to support President Donald Trump’s effort to mitigate crime will begin carrying firearms Sunday evening, according to a Defense Department official with knowledge of the planning.
The majority of the guard members will carry M17 pistols, their service-issued weapons, the official said, while a small number of the troops will be armed with M4 rifles. The troops are authorized to use their weapons for self-protection.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday ordered the authorization of roughly 2,000 National Guard troops in D.C. to begin carrying weapons. It marked a shift in the posture of the guard members, who had been unarmed as they worked to support law enforcement by assisting with community safety patrols, traffic control points and crowd flow support.
In carrying out Hegseth’s directive, the Army noted that “Guard members receive initial, regular, ongoing and refresher training” and “complete annual weapons qualifications, prior to carrying weapons.”
