Deputy Andy Harris of Maryland triggered a metal detector outside the House on Thursday and a policeman soon discovered it was because he was carrying a gun hidden beside him, a Capitol official told CNN. The officer sent Harris away, prompting him to ask New York Republican colleague John Katko to wield his gun.
According to a press report, Katko refused to point the gun at Harris, saying he had no license. Harris then left the area and returned moments later, walking to the floor of the House without activating the magnetometer.
The Capitol official confirmed to CNN that Harris did not enter the House floor with a gun. Harris’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.
The Capitol Police officer who saw the gun informed his superiors and the department is investigating the matter, a Capitol Police source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Firearms are banned in Congress, except for members, who have certain exemptions under a 1967 regulation from the Capitol Police Board, a source confirmed to CNN. Members of Congress can carry firearms in Congress hallways and on Capitol grounds, as long as they have licenses in Washington and carry ammunition separately, the source added. Under no circumstances are lawmakers allowed to bring firearms to the House floor.
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told CNN’s Chris Cuomo late on Thursday that “I think a very considerable amount, many members” of the House “still do not feel safe around other members of the Congress, “criticizing Harris for the incident.
“The moment you put a gun on the floor of the Chamber in violation of the rules, you put everyone around you in danger. It is irresponsible, it is imprudent, but it is also a violation of the rules, ”she said.
“You are openly disobeying the rules that we establish as a community, which means that you cannot be trusted to be held responsible for what we decide as a community. And so I really don’t care what they say your intentions are, I care about the impact of your actions, and the impact will put all 435 members of Congress in danger. ”
Ocasio-Cortez stated that Harris “tried to hand over his weapon to another member who did not have a license, and any responsible gun owner knows that you don’t just hand over your weapon to another individual, you have to clean it, et cetera.”
“It just goes to show that it doesn’t matter what your intention is if you are irresponsible, if you are trying to break rules, if you are trying to stick a firearm into the floor of the House,” he added. “I don’t care if you accidentally detonated it, I don’t care if you intentionally detonated it, I don’t care if you didn’t detonate it, you’re putting the lives of members of Congress at risk. And it’s absolutely outrageous that we still have to have this conversation. “
The metal detectors were installed after several House Democrats told CNN that they were concerned about some of their Republican colleagues and after several conversations about the need for each member of Congress and their guests to start passing through metal detectors, he previously reported. CNN.
Since the detectors were installed, there have been very few votes in the House floor, so members are still getting used to the new measures.
Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who filmed a campaign ad promising to carry her gun through the Capitol before arriving in Washington, was also involved in an impasse with the Capitol Police on newly installed metal detectors when trying to reach the ground in January 12
That same night, Republican Party representatives Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Steve Womack of Arkansas shouted at the Capitol Police when they were forced through the detectors. Womack shouted, “I was physically restrained,” and Mullin said, “It’s my constitutional right” to come by and “they can’t stop me.”
Freedom Caucus President Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican, told reporters on Jan. 12 as he passed the metal detectors to get to the House floor: “This sucks here. You can drop it. This is the stupidest thing. “
Even some Democrats were dissatisfied with the extra security, because it led to longer lines and members being forced to stay within 2 meters of each other.
“I am more likely to die from Covid because I beat a colleague than because a colleague shot me,” Texas Democrat Representative Filemon Vela told CNN last week.
Following initial criticism from lawmakers and reports that some refused to stop for the Capitol Police after firing the magnetometers, Mayor Nancy Pelosi proposed a new rule on January 13, imposing heavy fines on members who refused to follow the new security measures: $ 5,000 for the first offense and $ 10,000 for the second offense. The new rule has not yet been approved and will be considered when the plenary vote is resumed in the Chamber in February.
CNN’s Caroline Kelly contributed to this report.