WASHINGTON — The majority of the more than 2,300 National Guard troops deployed in Washington to support law enforcement began carrying weapons this weekend. But as in other such National Guard deployments, the troops have been told to use their M17 pistols and powerful M4 rifles only for self-defense or as a last resort, two Defense Department officials told NBC News.
Under the rules of engagement, deadly force is authorized only “upon reasonable belief of an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm,” one of the defense officials said. And a bad actor must have the “ability and opportunity” to put a guard member in jeopardy or inflict serious bodily harm. The focus for the guard members, the official added, is to defend themselves or other people.
Armed guard members will carry the type of weapon they are normally issued and trained on, typically M17 handguns and M4 semiautomatic rifles, similar to assault-style rifles, the Defense Department officials said. Some guard members will carry M9 pistols.
The military weapons are similar to those used by local police departments across the United States. The M4 is a standard semiautomatic rifle and has roughly the same capabilities as semiautomatic rifles used by law enforcement agencies.
The M17 handgun is essentially the same as the Sig Sauer P320 pistol, the type of semiautomatic pistol that police across the country have used for years. Police in Washington use semiautomatic handguns and rifles, as well.
Similar to other missions
The troops’ mission in Washington is similar to that of guard members who are activated to support law enforcement in other states, the officials said.
The primary difference is that a governor would normally call up the guard instead of the president’s federalizing it, as occurred in the District of Columbia. In Washington, the mayor typically submits a request to activate the guard through the defense secretary.
After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order allowing the guard deployed to D.C. to carry weapons last week, some began carrying them to locations around the city. This deployment comes from D.C. and six states: Louisiana, Ohio, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
While officials believe that at any one time there could be 500 to 800 guard members on the streets, the number fluctuates daily depending on need and circumstances, the Defense Department officials said. And only guard members operating in certain areas and on certain missions in Washington will be armed, they added.
For example, guard members who are carrying out “beautification” duties at national monuments will not typically be armed. But those on so-called presence patrols might be, the officials said. The decision about whether guard members are armed in some locations in the city is up to the local commander.
Arming National Guard members during federal missions is common. Guard troops deployed on a federal mission in Los Angeles this year were also assigned their unit-issued weapons, according to a third Defense Department official. NBC News was not able to identify any examples of the guard members’ firing their rifles or pistols in Los Angeles.
Trump’s claims
President Donald Trump has said his use of the guard to support local law enforcement is part of his effort to rid the nation’s capital of violent crime. And a U.S. official said arming the guard in some neighborhoods was a preventive step, essentially sending a signal to anyone who might target the guard not to do so.
So far, there have been few incidents in Washington involving guard members. But on Saturday, Mississippi National Guard members responded to a call for protection from a D.C. resident who said an assailant was threatening bystanders.
The guard members formed a protective barrier between the person and the alleged victims while also notifying local police. U.S. Capitol Police took the person into custody and obtained statements from the guard members involved, according to a spokesperson for the guard deployment in Washington.
Trump said Monday that because of his deployment of the guard, Washington had not had a murder in 11 days and claimed it had been years since the city had gone more than a week without a murder. In fact, local police data shows that Washington went 16 days without a murder this year, from Feb. 25 to March 12.
