Members of the National Guard are seen patrolling the Washington monument grounds in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, August 21, 2025. On Sunday, officials said the guardsmen were now armed with service weapons. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo
National Guardsmen deployed to Washington, D.C., by President Donald Trump to combat an alleged crime emergency in the nation’s capital began carrying firearms Sunday evening, according to reports.
The more than 2,200 guardsmen serving with Joint Task Force-D.C. have begun carrying service-issued M-17 pistols and M-4 rifles, a JTF-DC spokesman said in a statement, ABC News and NBC News reported.
Task Force personnel operate under the established Rules for the Use of Force, allowing “the use of force only as a last resort in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm,” the spokesman said.
“JTF-DC remains committed to protecting the safety and well-being of the residents of the District of Columbia.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday authorized guardsmen to carry weapons, after Trump visited National Guard personnel a day prior and suggested they would play a greater role in D.C. law enforcement.
“You got to be strong, you got to be tough,” Trump told those assembled at the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility. “You got to do your job, whatever it takes to do you your job.”
Trump deployed the troops to D.C. earlier this month with an executive order declaring a crime emergency in the city.
The federal takeover of D.C., which is being challenged in court, comes as crime in the city is at its lowest level in 30 years, according to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has been vocally against the deployment.
Trump claimed Friday on his Truth Social platform that his move has made “D.C. SAFE AGAIN.”
The Republican president has threatened to send the military to a handful of other Democrat-led cities, most recently Baltimore, Md., where violent crime is down 17% compared to last year and homicides are down 30%, according to the city’s crime statistics.
