I commanded an infantry detachment in the NG, after the regular army.
They would not shoot peaceful protestors. Will not happen. Nobody thinks that; and NO officer would give that order.
2. They were armed for two reasons:
A. To let everyone out there know that they were a hard target and dissuade rational people and most irrational people too;
B. In case some idiot group opened up or they had to bring down a large vehicle barreling through checkpoints. They would need to gain fire superiority.
Do I think a platoon in a given location would have unloaded several hundred or even a couple thousand rounds if a couple of idiots opened up on them in a direct firefight? YES.
Last edited by conrad101st; 01/23/21.
