National Guard patrolling DC prepared in coming days to carry weapons

National Guard troops sent to Washington, D.C., this week as part of President Trump's mission to crackdown on violent crime in the nation's capital will reportedly start carrying weapons in the coming days.

That the troops could, and would, has been reported since they started arriving Tuesday, but that will in the coming days was reported Saturday by The Wall Street Journal, based on what the newspaper said were people familiar with the change. 

The newspaper also says Defense Department officials had previously said the 800 National Guard soldiers deployed wouldn’t be armed, unlike many federal law-enforcement agents sent to the capital. 

They also weren’t to have weapons in their vehicles. “Weapons are available if needed but will remain in the armory,” the U.S. Army said in a press release Thursday.

As of late Friday, troops patrolling the National Mall in small groups were not armed.