The pistols and powerful rifles guard members carry are similar to those local police use across the country. Troops have been told to use their weapons only as a last resort.

National Guard troops deployed to patrol the streets of Washington, D.C., have begun carrying firearms in an escalation of President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the nation’s capital

The exact number of troops who would carry their weapons was fluid, but they will either carry M17 pistols or M4 rifles, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.