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.

National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., are now armed. It comes as President Donald Trump is threatening to expand his crackdown on crime beyond the nation’s capital to other major cities including New York and Chicago.

National Guard members, who began carrying weapons Sunday, have mostly been aiding law enforcement with community safety patrols.