Some National Guard units patrolling Washington, D.C. at the direction of the president have begun carrying firearms. A defense department official said certain units on specific missions would be armed, some with handguns and others with rifles. All units with firearms received training and operate under strict rules for use of force. The joint task force said troops began carrying service weapons and reiterated that force should be used only as a last resort against imminent threats of death or serious bodily harm. Thousands of National Guard and federal officers now patrol the district, prompting sporadic protests. The deployment may be expanded to other Democratic-led cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, and New York.
Some national guard units patrolling the US's capital at the direction of Donald Trump have started carrying firearms, an escalation of the president's military deployment that makes good on a directive issued late last week by his defense department. A defense department official who was not authorized to speak publicly said some units on certain missions in Washington DC would be armed some with handguns and others with rifles.
An Associated Press photographer on Sunday saw members of the South Carolina national guard outside Union Station with holstered handguns. A statement from the joint taskforce that has taken over policing in Washington DC said units began carrying their service weapons on Sunday and that the military's rules say force should be used only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.
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