House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to the Police Board Tuesday asking that lawmakers be briefed on the rules for carrying a firearm on Capitol Hill.
‘I have heard from a number of Members and staff who are greatly concerned about the lack of clarity about rules that permit Members of Congress to carry personal firearms in their offices,’ Hoyer wrote.
He said that the ‘presence of deadly firearms only raises the dangers of a violent incident, an accidental discharge, or some other preventable tragedy.’
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wrote a letter to the Capitol Police Board Tuesday asking that lawmakers be briefed on the rules for carrying a firearm on Capitol Hill
Metal detectors were installed outside the House chamber after the January 6 Capitol attack, prompting complaints from some Republican lawmakers
‘No matter who possesses these weapons and how well trained they are in their safe personal use, their very presence in these spaces makes them less safe to all, especially to the U.S. Capitol Police officers who are already under enormous pressure to protect the premises,’ Hoyer argued.
The Capitol Police Board, which oversees the Capitol Police, is made up of the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms, the Architect of the Capitol and the chief of the Capitol Police.
J. Thomas Manger was named the chief of the Capitol Police in July.
Hoyer’s request comes less than a week after a Capitol Hill staffer was arrested for bringing a gun into the Longworth House Office Building and charged with a pistol without a license. The aide said he had forgotten the gun was in his bag.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
At the beginning of the new Congress in January, members were told that ‘firearms are restricted to a Member’s Office.’
But Hoyer said in the letter that ‘too often we have seen instances in which Members have claimed that it is permissible to carry firearms (and, indeed, have admitted that they were in possession of firearms) elsewhere on Capitol Hill, including committee and hearing rooms, which under current regulations is prohibited.’
Just days after the Capitol attack, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had metal detectors installed outside the House chamber to ensure no guns were brought onto the House floor.
Several members, including Republican Reps. Madison Cawthorn and Adam Kinzinger said they had been armed during the attack.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, filmed a campaign ad pledging to carry her Glock around Capitol Hill.
In the past, she’s set off the metal detectors and been reluctant to show officers what was in her bag.
