Until this week, members of Congress were not screened for weapons at any point while moving about Capitol Hill. But things changed after the attack on January 6th. And that just happened to coincide with the threat from freshman Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) that she would be bringing her Glock with her to Capitol Hill. The AP says while lawmakers, who have the appropriate registrations, are allowed to carry guns into their offices at the Capitol, they “may not bring weapons into the House chamber and other nearby areas.”
So on January 12th, metal detectors were installed at a few locations inside the halls of Congress. That included the entrance to the House chambers. It’s a decision didn’t go over well with some members of the GOP. That included Boebert. CNN’s Ryan Nobles says her bag set off the detectors, but she refused to let Capitol police search her things
Eventually, Boebert was allowed in and, it’s unclear whether police found any weapons. But she wasn’t alone. Some of her colleagues just walked around the detectors.
Now Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says, starting on January 21st, there will be consequences for House members who “refuse to follow new screening protocols for House Chamber.” She said this is necessary following “the deadly insurrection on the Capitol.”
“Sadly, just days later, many House Republicans have disrespected our heroes by verbally abusing them and refusing to adhere to basic precautions keeping members of our Congressional community, including the Capitol Police, safe. The House will soon move forward with a rule change imposing fines on those who refuse to abide by these protections. The fine for the first offense will be $5,000 and $10,000 for the second offense. The fines will be deducted directly from Members’ salaries by the Chief Administrative Officer.
Pelosi went on to say “It is tragic that this step is necessary, but the Chamber of the People’s House must and will be safe.”
