Tensions are high after a gun incident near the ground

Tensions with lawmakers are high this week after a Republican lawmaker nearly brought a gun to House floor, further fueling concerns about the security of the Capitol and whether members of Congress need protection from each other.

The renewed anxiety just two weeks after the deadly January 6 attack was sparked by Rep. Andy harrisAndrew (Andy) Peter Harris An attack on America that divided Congress – and a nation Here are the House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump ‘I saw my life shine before my eyes’: An oral history of the attack on the Capitol PLUS (R-Md.) When he set off a newly installed metal detector on the floor of the house with a concealed weapon, despite a long-standing ban on guns in the bedroom.

The incident followed numerous reports from other Republicans, accustomed to bypassing metal detectors on Capitol Hill, angering at the new security measures. Some Democrats are now openly expressing that they do not feel safe with certain colleagues.

Rising anger and mistrust over the attack on Capitol Hill this month by Trump supporters has raised concerns among some lawmakers that heated debates could turn violent.

“Look, the temperature is politically high right now”, Rep. Jared huffmanJared William HuffmanScars of Capitol Attack permeate high-security inauguration Confidence among lawmakers hits all-time low after Capitol Riots OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Capitol in Chaos | Trump’s Arctic Refuge Drill Sale Pays Only Fraction of GOP Forecast | EPA Finds Fuel Efficiency Dips, Pollution Rises For 2019 Vehicles READ MORE (D-Calif.) Told The Hill. “It makes no sense to rely on an honor system that could allow something really tragic to happen. And I would say it’s only a matter of time before that happens.

representative Kathleen riceKathleen Maura Rice Confidence among lawmakers bottomed out after Capitol riots Trump call in Georgia sparked criminal sanctions debate Georgia district attorney said she will ‘enforce the law without fear or favor ” after Trump’s call MORE (DN.Y.) said she would never have considered violence in the floor debate when she began serving in the House in 2015. Now, she says, that’s another story.

“You can’t be afraid that whoever you’re arguing with on the ground with C-SPAN watching is going to shoot a gun and, like, shoot you,” Rice said.

“If you had told me that six years ago, I would say, ‘He who is afraid of this is mad. It would never happen. Now? Sorry. All bets are raised. It’s a totally different climate. Totally different climate. And we have to recognize it. “

representative Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezOcasio-Cortez Says Lawmakers Worried Colleagues Sneak Guns On House Floor Ocasio-Cortez Spent Inaugural Night Supporting New York Strikers Budowsky: Democracy Won, Trump lost, President Biden inaugurated MORE (DN.Y.) – who revealed she had a “close encounter” on Jan.6 – spoke of security concerns for not attending President Biden’s inauguration, saying in an interview on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time” says “we still don’t do that yet. Feel safe with other members of Congress.”

The metal detectors were installed last week after first-term GOP representatives Lauren Boebert (Colorado) and Madison Cawthorn (North Carolina) publicly discussed transporting their weapons around Capitol Hill. The two were also among several House Republicans who engaged in inflammatory rhetoric to promote the former President TrumpDonald Trump McCarthy says he told Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene he did not agree with his articles of impeachment against Biden Biden, Trudeau agreed to meet next month Trump was planning to oust acting AG to overturn Georgia election results: PLUS reportFalse allegations of electoral fraud before the attack on Capitol Hill which left five dead.

In the past, lawmakers have at times turned violent during heated debates on the ground. Numerous physical altercations erupted during the fighting for slavery in the 1800s, including the infamous caning of abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner in 1856 and a House floor debate in 1858 which leads to punches between Pennsylvania Republican Galusha Grow and South Carolina Democrat Laurence Keitt before more than 30 lawmakers joined the fights.

Earlier this month, a scuffle nearly broke out between lawmakers – including Harris – during a late-night debate over a GOP challenge to Electoral College results, just hours after the pro crowd -Trump ransacked the Capitol.

There are currently no punitive measures in place for lawmakers avoiding the Capitol Police as they make their way to House floor. But the House is expected to vote to pass fines – $ 5,000 for a first offense, $ 10,000 for subsequent ones – when it returns to session in the first week of February.

Members of Congress are exempt from regulations banning guns on Capitol grounds and, until last week, metal detectors in the compound.

Lawmakers can keep the guns in their offices or transport them – unloaded and well packed – elsewhere in the Capitol complex under a 1967 rule. But they are prohibited from bringing them into the chambers of the House or the Senate or in adjacent areas.

All staff, reporters and visitors, meanwhile, must pass through metal detectors to enter the Capitol or surrounding office buildings and may not carry firearms anywhere on the premises unless expressly permitted. .

Harris’s office suggested the weapon carried by the Republican of Maryland as a means of self-defense, saying he and his family had recently faced security threats.

“Because his life and that of his family have been threatened by someone who has been released pending trial, for security reasons, the congressman never confirms whether he or anyone with whom he is with him carry a gun to defend himself. Publicly, he has a Maryland handgun license. And the congressman still complies with the House metal detectors and wand. The congressman never carried a gun on House floors, ”Harris’s office said in a statement.

Lawmakers on both sides have faced a spike in threats against them since 2016. Some say the biggest threat to lawmakers comes from extremists who also threaten their family members.

“I think the threat is less on the members, frankly, than on others who are like the lawless thugs who attacked the Capitol and these national terrorist groups who obviously led us to put 20,000 National Guards around the Capitol,” A declared the representative. Josh gottheimerJoshua (Josh) Gottheimer GOP Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chair Says He Will Vote For, 000 Checks House Passes Massive Spending Deal, Highlighting Senate Vote McConnell Getting Much of What He wants in the emerging relief agreement MORE (DN.J.).

The New Jersey Democrat is circulating a letter calling for increased security funding for member offices, regular briefings for Capitol Hill security officials and efforts to keep members’ personal information on the internet.

It is unclear how long National Guard troops will stay at the Capitol complex or when the 8-foot-high perimeter fence will be removed.

Minority Leader in the Senate Mitch mcconnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellTrump’s impeachment trial set to start week of February 8 Democrats table 14th Amendment to remove Trump from office Biden signals ready to delay Trump trial MORE (R-Ky.) Said on Friday that “keeping the Capitol secure cannot and will not require large numbers of uniformed soldiers and extensive emergency fencing systems to stay in place forever.”

His. Chris MurphyChristopher (Chris) Scott Murphy Democrats float 14th Amendment to bar Trump from leaving office Senate approves waiver for Biden’s Pentagon candidate Democrats shoot down McConnell’s filibuster gambit MORE (Connecticut), the top Democrat on the Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing the funding of the legislature, rejected the idea of ​​installing magnetometers to enter the upper house.

“Our members so far seem to be much more responsible for building safety,” Murphy said.

In the meantime, some House Democrats, led by Huffman and Rice, say magnetometers outside the House chamber should be made permanent, in addition to ending the gun exemption for legislators.

The two acknowledged that maybe it was time to require lawmakers to go through metal detectors when they enter office buildings at the Capitol complex like everyone else.

“Just treat the members like any other member of the public entering the Capitol,” Huffman said. “You can’t have an honor system with dishonorable people who think the rules don’t apply to them.”