WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Many National Guard members in D.C. are now carrying weapons during their patrols.
As of Monday morning, 2,234 troops were deployed in the District, with 1,305 more troops from six other states.
At the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, some troops began carrying rifles and handguns Sunday night.
At Union Station, small groups of troops had M17 handguns, while on the National Mall outside the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, two dozen troops each carried M4 rifles.
“It really caught me off guard, and it feels very disturbing and scary to see people with…firearms very well, but really big guns, people with really big guns sort of just sort of walking around,” said Kathleen Durkin.
A defense official told the Associated Press that guard members working in transportation or administration will likely remain unarmed. Those who are armed operate under the established rules for the use of force — only as a last resort.
“It’s kind of intimidating and scary, and like it feels like we are getting into a very dangerous place when we have been always happy to walk around and being downtown,” said one woman who works downtown. “Every day we have more and more guys around downtown, and yeah, it doesn’t feel safe.”
According to the Joint Information Center, guard members have assisted federal agents with traffic control and provided information to police to help with arrests.
Many locals say the troops are deployed in safe areas.
“It doesn’t really seem to match up with the narrative of trying to reduce crime in DC because that’s not where it’s happening,” Durkin said.
The joint task force currently has an increased presence at certain metro stations in conjunction with the start of school.
Guard members will also begin a beatification and restoration mission with the National Park Service across the District.