House members and staff would be banned from carrying guns anywhere on the grounds of the Capitol under legislation introduced Thursday by a pair of Democratic lawmakers.
The bill marks the second time that California Reps. Jared Huffman and Jackie Speier have tried to roll back a 50-year-old regulation that exempts members of Congress from firearm rules that apply to everyone but law enforcement who visits or works at the Capitol, the Washington Examiner reported.
Currently members of Congress can have concealed firearms on Capitol grounds but are not allowed to have them inside legislative chambers and adjacent areas.
The measure is expected to get a lot more attention than earlier efforts in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol, the Washington Examiner reported.
Members of Congress can register their concealed firearms in Washington D.C. after taking the required coursework and tests, and then bring them into the Capitol.
However, Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris is under investigation by Capitol Police for attempting to bring his concealed carry pistol onto the floor of the House, the news outlet noted.
“I’ve been pushing for years to change this outdated rule, knowing there was an inevitable risk in allowing Members to carry guns in the Capitol,” Huffman said in a statement, the Washington Examiner reported.
“While we’d like to think we could rely on common decency, we now have colleagues who are QAnon and white supremacist sympathizers, incite violence and insurrection, and have even bragged about bringing guns into the House Chamber.”
The firearm laws on Capitol Hill go back to October 1967, following the race riots that happened throughout the country, the news outlet noted.
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