A clique of liberal Democrats is urging leaders of both parties in the House of Representatives to ban lawmakers from carrying firearms while on Capitol Hill.
While members of the public are barred from carrying weapons of any kind on Capitol grounds, a decades-old rule lets the members of Congress themselves carry guns in most areas of the Capitol complex.
So far, at least 21 Democrat anti-gunners have joined the effort to trash the exemption.
They sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) this week in which they argued that armed members of Congress make everyone on Capitol Hill less safe, in part, because Capitol Police are unaware who is armed and who isn’t.
This group hopes that party leaders will adopt a rule change banning firearms for everyone in the next Congress. “Ultimately, the current regulations create needless risk for Members of Congress, their staff, members of the Capitol Police, and visitors to the Capitol grounds,” the Democrats wrote in their letter.
The group is composed of well-known gun control advocates, such as Representatives Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), and Representative Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) — who was shot and wounded as a staff member during the 1978 congressional trip to the Jonestown cult settlement in Guyana, a shooting in which four others were killed.
Pelosi reportedly likes the idea of prohibiting guns for members of Congress. She has long wanted stricter federal gun laws and wants the incoming Congress to expand background checks.
The idea, however, doesn’t sit well with McCarthy or the Republican caucus.
It’s currently unknown just how many lawmakers on Capitol Hill exercise the ability to carry. The policy as it now stands was adopted in 1967 by the Capitol Police Board after Congress passed a Capitol ban on firearms for the general public.
The issue came into the spotlight last month when it became known that Lauren Boebert, a 33-year-old Colorado Republican newly elected to the House, approached Capitol Police during new member orientation to inquire about Capitol Hill firearm policies.
Boebert often carries a gun on her hip and made the Second Amendment a central focus of her campaign, in which she defeated 10-year incumbent Scott Tipton in the Republican primary.
Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who is leading the movement to ban congressmen from carrying in the Capitol Complex, says one of the problems is that there are no guidelines to ensure safe storage of guns in representatives’ offices or anywhere else in the Capitol.
“As you know, Member offices are open to staff, visitors, and the general public, and a firearm that is not secured could easily end up in the wrong hands,” the letter reads.
His group also argues that while the House Sergeant at Arms was said to brief the newly elected members on the Capitol’s gun rules, older members have never received the same instructions.
“Most returning Members are likely not aware of any regulations whatsoever regarding firearms on Capitol grounds,” the Democrats wrote. “As a result, there is a total lack of uniformity and procedure surrounding Members of Congress carrying firearms, which fosters an environment where Members may unwittingly be putting themselves and others in danger.”
That’s a pretty weak argument, however. If that were really the issue, it could easily be remedied by a simple memo or orientation for veteran members of the chamber.
Unfortunately, the House rules package for the 117th Congress is currently being drafted by members of the Rules Committee, led by Democrat Representative Jim McGovern (Mass.). Adopting rules for the chamber will be one of the House’s first votes when the body convenes on January 3 to begin the next session.
While Democrats’ majority has thinned due to Republican gains in the 2020 election cycle, they nevertheless retain control of the chamber, making it possible that the restrictive gun rules Huffman and his colleagues want will be passed, especially as it could please the new wave of radical Democrats such as Alexandria Ocasio-Corte (D-N.Y.), who are tired of Pelosi and the party’s old guard.
It would be a shame and a loss for the Second Amendment if they removed lawmakers’ ability to carry. In such turbulent times, patriotic, constitutionalist statesmen should carry to protect themselves against reprisals from the Left and the establishment. After all, even being within the walls of the Capitol doesn’t guarantee your safety if you’re a high-profile political target.
Just ask Julius Caesar.
