In 2023, there has been a significant increase in the number of people charged with illegally carrying guns on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. CBS News reviewed court records and U.S. Capitol Police reports and found that nearly two dozen individuals have been charged so far, including four in the past month. This is almost equivalent to the total number of gun arrests made in 2022. The rise in arrests coincides with the reopening of the Capitol Complex to tourist visits at the beginning of the year.
Most of the arrests involve individuals who claim that they had guns in their bags unknowingly or by mistake while going through Capitol checkpoints. However, it is important to note that the District of Columbia strictly requires firearms licenses and prohibits the open carrying of guns.
One specific case involved an Iowa man who was accused of carrying a loaded gun in a bag attached to his baby stroller. The gun was discovered at a security checkpoint to the Hart U.S. Senate Building on May 12, while the man and his family were trying to enter.
Another incident occurred when a 43-year-old Texas man was stopped for carrying a semiautomatic handgun at an entrance to the U.S. Capitol Visitor’s Center. The man claimed that he was not aware that the gun was in his bag. He is facing multiple charges, including possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of a high-capacity feeding device.
In a separate case, a Washington, D.C. man pleaded guilty to a criminal charge after being stopped with a semiautomatic handgun loaded with 9-millimeter ammunition at a checkpoint to the Longworth House Building. Initially, he claimed the gun belonged to his wife but later confessed to purchasing it “on the street” for $600 to protect his family.
Another incident took place on June 14, when a Virginia man was stopped with a gun in his bag at an entrance to the Ford House Office Building. He stated to the officers that he knew what they were looking for and asked if he could just leave before being taken into custody.
Whenever there are firearms incidents, Capitol Police have to close checkpoints and nearby areas for safety reasons. According to a Capitol Police spokesperson, no weapons are permitted on Capitol Grounds, even if they are legally registered in another state or the District of Columbia. The goal is to ensure the safety of everyone on the campus.
In 2023, Capitol Police have made 19 firearms arrests, matching almost the total number of arrests made in 2022. Since the reopening of the Capitol complex after the pandemic, there has been an increase in protests, rallies, and press events, which were less frequent during the peak of the COVID outbreak.
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the congressional representative for Capitol Hill and Washington, D.C., expressed concern about the recurring incidents of loaded weapons being stopped from entering the Capitol complex. She emphasized that the stricter gun laws in D.C. compared to the home states of some of the arrested individuals play a significant role in preventing these incidents from occurring.
In the recent wave of arrests, individuals who had guns seized from them are facing a felony charge of carrying a pistol without a license. These cases are being prosecuted in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. However, it is important to note that the majority of these cases seem to be the result of human error. CBS News has not observed any federal court filings related to Capitol Hill gun cases in 2023.
While firearms seizures have been a recurring issue on Capitol Hill, there is growing concern about the safety and protection of members of Congress in recent years. The U.S. Capitol siege revealed that multiple individuals involved were carrying firearms, and there have been instances of specific members of Congress being targeted for violence.
Furthermore, there have been recent violent incidents where attackers assaulted a Minnesota congresswoman, a top aide to a Virginia congressman, a U.S. Senate aide, and a U.S. House aide leaving a congressional baseball game.
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