National Guard Units In Washington To Now Carry Firearms As Trump Targets More Cities

United States National Guard Troops patrolling the streets of Washington D.C. at the direction of president Donald Trump have begun carrying firearms from Sunday night, AP reported. The Guards would either carry their M17 pistols or M4 rifles, according to officials quoted by Reuters.

The escalation comes after a directive issued by the Defense minister Pete Hegseth last week. Prior to the order, hundreds of troops were roaming the capital, unarmed, after Trump declared a crime emergency in the district. 

The move comes amid reports of Trump considering expanding the deployments to other Democratic-led cities, including Baltimore, Chicago and New York. Trump’s threat to deploy forces to Democratic-led cities came after an offer by Maryland's governor Wes Moore to join him in a tour of Baltimore by saying he might instead “send in the troops.'” The Maryland governor had criticised him stating that he was flexing federal power aimed at combatting crime and homelessness in Washington.

The Baltimore Police Department in July had said there had been a double-digit reduction in gun violence compared to the previous year. The mayor said Baltimore witnessed 84 homicides so far in 2025, which is the lowest in over 50 years.

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

As the Pentagon finalised its plan for the deployment of troops, leaders have claimed that Trump lacked the authority to do so.