New Metal Detectors at House Chamber Entrances Rankle Gun-toting Member

January 13, 2021 by Tom Ramstack
New Metal Detectors at House Chamber Entrances Rankle Gun-toting Member

WASHINGTON — A new policy requiring members of Congress to pass through metal detectors to search for weapons created a controversy Tuesday evening only hours after the House sergeant at arms announced it.

The policy is a reaction to rioting at the Capitol last week and ongoing warnings from the FBI of violence as the Jan. 20 inauguration of a new president approaches.

“Effective immediately, all persons, including members, are required to undergo security screening when entering the House Chamber,” the announcement said. “Failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber.”

Some lawmakers criticized the policy by pointing out that the threat of violence came from persons outside of Congress.

One of the critics was freshman Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who created an incident at a security station at a door to the House of Representatives chambers.

The metal detector alarms sounded as she tried to pass through them Tuesday. She refused to allow her bag to be inspected by Capitol Police, who then blocked her from entering the House chambers.

Although she was allowed into the chambers for a vote later, she apparently was not carrying a gun. Boebert implied in a tweet that she was carrying a gun during the earlier incident with police.

“I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C., and within the Capitol complex,” Boebert wrote. “Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week — it’s just another political stunt by Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi.”

The incident appears to be a controversial early start for a congresswoman who is making gun rights a central theme of her new career in Washington.

Days earlier, she was involved in a face-off with District of Columbia officials over her plan to carry a concealed gun around the city.

Even before she was sworn into office on Jan. 3, Boebert authored a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., opposing a Democratic proposal to ban lawmakers from carrying guns on Capitol grounds.

Currently, members of Congress can legally carry their guns on the U.S. Capitol campus. However, they are not allowed in the Capitol building.

In other locations, the right to carry a gun is governed by District of Columbia law, which is among the most restrictive in the United States.

Generally, D.C. law requires a license to carry a handgun. The licenses are issued to qualified applicants by the Metropolitan Police Department after an extensive background check, gun training and only at the discretion of the police. Concealed firearm licenses from other jurisdictions are not valid in the District of Columbia.

Boebert does not have a license for the District of Columbia but she has completed a firearms training course required to obtain one. She is asking the D.C. police for an exception to local regulations.

The mayor and police chief say they will not grant her an exception to the laws.

On Jan. 3, Boebert posted a video on the Internet announcing her intention of carrying a concealed handgun in the District of Columbia. The video shows her loading a Glock semi-automatic gun and placing it under her jacket before taking a walk in downtown Washington.

“Even though I now work in one of the most liberal cities in America, I refuse to give up my rights, especially my Second Amendment rights,” she said.

The 5-foot tall congresswoman has expressed concern for her safety when she works alone in Washington.

Even employees at a restaurant she owns in Rifle, Colo., are allowed to openly carry guns. The restaurant is called Shooters Grill.

Washington, D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said during a press conference last week that he would contact Boebert’s office to ensure she was aware of local gun laws.

Boebert won the November election shortly before 21 Democrats wrote a letter to congressional leaders asking that a firearms ban for lawmakers on the Capitol grounds be included in a pending House rules bill. They gained the right to carry guns at the Capitol under a 1967 regulation that grants an exception to the gun ban that anyone else must obey.

Democrats who signed the letter said it’s time to eliminate the exception.

The exception for Congress raises “several serious concerns,” the letter said. In addition, “members may unwillingly be putting themselves and others in danger.”

Boebert, along with 82 other members of Congress, responded with their own letter to congressional leaders opposing any efforts to reduce the rights of lawmakers to carry guns.

The letter, dated Jan. 1, says in part, “Washington, D.C. has a violent crime problem and D.C.’s violent crime rate is 158 percent higher than the national average. In 2020 alone, there have been more than 180 homicides, more than 1,500 assaults with a deadly weapon, and more than 1,800 robberies. Furthermore, there is a history of violent attacks on members of Congress and Capitol Police.”

She explained her motivation for writing the letter in a statement to her constituents that said, “I promise I will never stop defending your Constitutional rights.”

Boebert’s office did not respond to calls and email from The Well News asking for comment.

A+
a-
  • House of Representatives
  • Lauren Boebert
  • metal detectors
  • Nancy Pelosi
  • U.S> Capitol
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    In The News

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Silicon Valley-Based Firm Launches ‘Radar as a Service’

    BELMONT, Calif. — At first the idea sounds about as un-Silicon Valley as one can get. After all, the basic... Read More

    BELMONT, Calif. — At first the idea sounds about as un-Silicon Valley as one can get. After all, the basic concept underlying radar was proven in 1886, when a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz showed that radio waves could be reflected from solid objects. And the... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Elections Task Force Prosecutes 2020 ‘Vigilantes,’ Seeks More Civic Dialogue

    PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to... Read More

    PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to an Arizona election official. The sentencing of Joshua Russell, of Bucyrus, Ohio, came after he pleaded guilty to one count of making a threatening interstate communication.... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Disney World Settles with Florida After Its Opposition to 'Don’t Say Gay' Law

    ORLANDO — The company that runs Walt Disney World reached a settlement Wednesday with appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis... Read More

    ORLANDO — The company that runs Walt Disney World reached a settlement Wednesday with appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who were exerting controversial regulatory control over the huge tourism complex. The settlement resolves some of the disputes that arose after Disney officials publicly denounced the... Read More

    US Changes How It Categorizes People by Race and Ethnicity. It's the First Revision in 27 Years

    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and... Read More

    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. The revisions... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Vice President Harris Rolls Out First Government-Wide Policy to Mitigate AI Risks

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the risks associated with artificial intelligence while still enabling its use to advance the public interest. The new policy, which is being issued through the White House... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by TWN Staff
    Rep. Cleaver New Co-Chair of House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. He was invited to serve as co-chair by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the co-chairs of the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top