The soldiers deployed by the Trump administration to help out the local law enforcement will be carrying their firearms.
By Catholics for Catholics
Soon the National Guard soldiers who were deployed to Washington D.C. will be carrying their firearms, according to The Epoch Times.
A Pentagon officer told The Epoch Times that the troops will be able to use their service-issued weapons, “consistent with their mission and training,” while working to “lower the crime rate in our nation’s capital.”
The officer said, “The D.C. National Guard remains committed to safeguarding the District of Columbia and serving those who live, work, and visit the District.”
According to The Times, Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, directed the change, according to an August 22nd statement to the Times from the Department of Defense.
The troops have been guarding D.C. since August 11th, after President Donald Trump took federal control of the city. The National Guard is assisting the local Metropolitan Police Department with 800 soldiers.
National Guard troops deployed to DC will be able to carry WEAPONS — WSJ
— ManicPapa (Jeff Nusser) (@manic_papa) August 20, 2025
UNEXPECTED policy change — two days ago DOD said troops would not be armed or have weapons in vehicles@MTodayNews pic.twitter.com/IaCaCa8dbw
Already, the effects of the National Guard in the country’s capital have shown a noticeable effect, said Attorney General Pam Bondi, who took over the reigns of the Metropolitan Police Department. She said on X that the troops have made 719 arrests and seized 91 illegal guns since they were put in charge.
“Just yesterday we made 40 arrests, took five more illegal firearms off our streets, and had 36 ICE arrests—including a suspected MS-13 gang member,” Bondi said.
Still, some local D.C. leaders are not seeing the deployment of troops to the nation’s capital as something good. One of them was City Council member Charles Allen, who said, “Trump is once again putting armed military onto the streets of an American city.”
“These are the actions not of a president, but of someone on the march to an authoritarian takeover,” Allen said.
Save and Share this Catholic Patriotic Minute!
Your action is key to winning the next Presidential Election.
