National Guard began carrying guns in Washington D.C. after Trump administration order

The The Associated Press (AP) reported Sunday that some National Guard units deployed in Washington D.C. were seen carrying weapons, including pistols and rifles. According to the media outlet, one of its photographers in the city detailed that he could see several South Carolina National Guard members outside Union Station with holstered pistols. Similarly, AP reported that the joint task force that has taken over security duties in Washington DC said through a statement that units began carrying their service weapons on Sunday and that military regulations state that force should be used "only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm"

The news agency's release came shortly after NBC reported that National Guard troops deployed in Washington DC would begin carrying firearms as of Sunday night. According to the media outlet, a Defense Department official with knowledge of the planning, who chose to speak on condition of anonymity, commented that a good portion of the National Guard members deployed to the capital city will carry M17 pistols, while some troops will carry M4 rifles. The official also told NBC that National Guard personnel deployed in Washington DC will be able to use their weapons in case they are in danger.

The National Guard was deployed by President Donald Trump in order to fight crime in the nation's capital, as well as to be able to address the illegal immigration problem that exists in the city, materializing greater arrests that could eventually culminate in deportations.

Hegseth's order

Last Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered 2,000 National Guard members to carry weapons while deployedin Washington DC. As reported by NBC, that order represented a drastic change, considering that, until now, the Guard was unarmed and performed support functions for existing law enforcement in the city, with support for crowd flow or community safety patrols.

So far, just over 2,200 Guard members have been deployed in the capital city, with a good portion of these coming from out of state. While much of the city has expressed its dissatisfaction with this measure, the fact is that crime rates have been reduced since Trump decided to deploy the troops last August 11. In fact, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department told Fox News that no murders have been reported in the city since the 13th of this month.