National Guard to Start Carrying Weapons in DC

National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., have been told they should prepare to carry weapons in the nation's capital despite previous assurances from officials that the troops would not be armed, according to a Saturday report by The Wall Street Journal.

President Donald Trump ordered 800 National Guard troops to deploy to Washington, with the troops arriving on Tuesday. The deployment aims to combat crime in the city, even as crime rates have reached a 30-year low, marking one of the most aggressive federal interventions in local law enforcement in recent history.

Washington officials sued the administration to block the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), which prompted U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to issue a memo that leaves the current police chief in charge of the department but also directs the police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, the Associated Press reported.

Administration officials had previously said the National Guard would not carry weapons, and troops who have already made the rounds on patrol around the city have done so without carrying them.