Democrats seek to make guns on Capitol Hill illegal – for everyone

House Democrats this week are pushing for legislation to ban lawmakers from carrying guns anywhere on Capitol Hill – an old idea that is garnering attention in the tough days since the deadly attack on Capitol Hill in Beginning of the month.

Sponsored by Reps. Jared huffmanJared William Huffman Democrats at Home Seek to Block Offshore Drilling on West Coast and Arctic Tensions run high after incident with gun near home floor Capitol attack permeates grand opening high security PLUS and Jackie SpeierKaren (Jackie) Lorraine Jacqueline SpeierNighttime Defense: Biden Lifts Trump’s Transgender Military Ban | Democrats and supporters celebrate end of ban | 5,000 guards remaining in Washington through mid-March Calls increase for 9/11 style panel to probe attack on Capitol Hill Global gag rule is just the tip of the iceberg: why the repeal of the Helms amendment is important, both California Democrats, the proposal would repeal a decades-old rule exempting lawmakers from a blanket gun ban on the Capitol complex.

The legislature’s exclusion has been in place since 1967, and members of both parties have quietly benefited from it over the decades since, with virtually no incident.

But the issue reached new heights this year after a handful of House Republicans, most of them new to Congress, expressed a desire to bring concealed firearms to House floors, where current guidelines prohibit them.

These rhetorical threats to defy the rules – combined with an episode last week where Capitol Hill police officers intervened to stop Rep. Andy harrisAndrew (Andy) Peter Harris Rep. Bush Says She Is Moving From Her Greene Office For Safety Maryland lawmakers call on Biden to honor Capital Gazette shooting victims with Presidential Medal of Freedom Rachel Maddow: GOP has become party of ” a “ marginal, violent and extremist criminal movement ” MORE (R-Md.) To bring a gun into the bedroom – heightened the urgency among Democratic gun reformers to expand the gun ban to include not only staff members and the public, but also legislators.

“What I think we’ve learned isn’t working is the honor system,” Huffman said in a telephone interview Thursday, the day he introduced the bill. “This is how we enforce the current ban on guns in the House of the House. And we know that a growing number of Republicans just flout it.

A newcomer to Capitol Hill, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Cut a video on her second day in Washington vowing to “carry my gun to Washington and Congress.” She has since refused to allow Capitol Police to search her purse as she walked on the floor of the house.

Another first-term lawmaker, Representative Madison Cawthorn (RN.C.), told local press he carried a gun during the siege of Capitol Hill, although it is not known if he was on the floor at the time.

A third Republican, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), faces close scrutiny this week following revelations that she endorsed the assassination of prominent Democrats before coming to Congress.

These and similar episodes have escalated mistrust to the point that some Democrats say they literally fear that some of their GOP colleagues pose a threat to their physical safety.

In response to these concerns, the President Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiFBI: Woman arrested in the Capitol riot reportedly said she wanted to shoot Pelosi ‘in the brain’ friggin ‘Trump knew what was going to happen on January 6? Marjorie Taylor Greene touts Trump’s call amid mounting backlash (D-Calif.) Placed three magnetometers around the floor of the House just days after the attack on Capitol Hill – an extraordinary milestone reflecting how party relations have deteriorated in the combustible months since the election of Last year. If there were any questions about her goal, they were put to rest by one of her allies at Home, who said the goal was “to keep the valets from carrying guns in the bedroom.” .

Pelosi is now pushing for more funding to protect lawmakers – at home, in Washington, and on the go. But she has made it clear that she sees some Republicans as part of the threat.

“We will probably need a supplement for more security for the members when the enemy is in the House of Representatives – a threat that worries the members – in addition to what is happening outside,” he said. Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday.

Asked to explain, Pelosi was laconic. “This means we have members of Congress who want to bring guns to the ground and have threatened to rape other members of Congress,” she said.

Some Republican lawmakers have previously hesitated to run through magnetometers during votes, choosing to bypass them. Pelosi reacted quickly, threatening thousands of dollars in fines for every violation – a policy the House is expected to adopt next week.

The application of the legislative prohibition to armed lawmakers is less certain. Huffman said the decision would be left to the United States Capitol Police Council, although he suggested the simplest strategy would be to filter lawmakers like everyone else every time they walk in. the Capitol complex.

“I think we’ve come to a point where members of Congress have to play by these same rules,” he said.

The 1967 guidelines for lawmakers to bear arms are also a design of the Capitol Police Council, which consists of the sergeants-at-arms of both chambers, the Capitol architect and the Capitol police chief. And even Huffman says the preferred strategy is for the Council to repeal this rule, rather than pass the change through legislation.

After the Jan.6 attack, however, the board is in a state of disarray as three of the four members have been replaced and it is unclear whether they are looking into the matter.

“The problem is, that advice isn’t really working right now,” Huffman said. “It is important that this bill move forward, at the very least, to keep this issue front and center and serve as a safety net in case they refuse to take action.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Capitol Police did not respond to multiple requests for comment this week.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Rules Committee, had faced pressure from Democrats to add the gun ban to the rules package of the new Congress, which was approved the first week of January. Speaking to The Hill earlier this month, McGovern said Democratic leaders chose not to do so, largely for two reasons. First, he said the Police Commission was reviewing its firearms guidelines, including the statutory exemption. And secondly, the House rules only cover half of the Capitol complex, making logistical enforcement impossible without Senate membership.

“The regulations are bicameral,” he said, stressing that he supports Huffman’s goals.

With Democrats now in control of the Senate, Huffman said he hopes to find support for his proposal in the Upper House, although it is not clear whether the Senate Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck Schumer Proposal for permanent Capitol fence sparks bipartisan revulsion Immigration reform can’t wait Psaki expects DHS candidate Mayorkas to lead the task force to reunite separated families. (DN.Y.) has the problem on his radar.

Schumer’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Regardless of how the debate unfolds, proponents of the gun ban say their case has been bolstered by an unlikely group: the same Republicans who rock the mob – including Boebert, Cawthorn and Greene – whose the controversies that grabbed the headlines quickly became a headache for GOP leaders.

“These people, by their bad behavior, are getting a much better deal than anything I could tell,” Huffman said.