On August 24 (US time), US officials said that National Guard soldiers deployed in the capital Washington D.C. will begin carrying weapons during patrols.
The decision came after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth approved the equipment, in the context of US President Donald Trump declaring a state of emergency for crime in the area.
According to the information, the number of soldiers allowed to carry weapons is not fixed, but they will use M17 pistons or M4 rifle. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of unarmed National Guard soldiers have been on duty on the streets of the US capital.
The National Guard Joint Chiefs of Staff Command in Washington D.C affirmed that soldiers only use force in cases of force majeure to deal with the risk of death or serious injury.
Trump said he could expand the crime crackdown to Chicago and even Baltimore, Democratic-controlled cities.
However, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries stressed that the president has no authority to send troops to Chicago, while Pentagon officials have only stopped at the contingency plan level.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also affirmed that there was no emergency situation that could justify the deployment of the National Guard.
In Baltimore, Trump criticized the crime situation and said he was ready to send troops here. However, the latest data shows that the city has recorded a double-digit decline in gun violence, with 84 murders since the beginning of the year - the lowest number in more than 50 years, according to the Mayor's statistics.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly cited Clause 12406 in the Federal Code, which allows the deployment of the National Guard in certain special situations. However, experts say the move could face legal challenges if applied in Democratic-controlled cities.
