Capitol Hill police are investigating after the building’s metal detectors were set off after Rep. Andy Harris attempted to enter the building with a concealed firearm.
Harris tried to enter the floor when an officer scanned him with a metal detector wand. The firearm was concealed by his suit coat and the Maryland lawmaker was denied entry.
Metal detectors were installed outside the chamber’s doors following the attack from then-President Donald Trump’s supporters, which left five dead and dozens injured on Jan. 6.
Harris’s chief of staff, Bryan Shuy, issued a statement to Fox Baltimore on Thursday night:
“Because his and his family’s lives have been threatened by someone who has been released awaiting trial, for security reasons, the Congressman never confirms whether he nor anyone else he’s with are carrying a firearm for self-defense,” Shuy wrote. “As a matter of public record, he has a Maryland Handgun Permit. And the congressman always complies with the House metal detectors and wanding. The Congressman has never carried a firearm on the House floor.”
Matt Fuller, A HuffPost congressional reporter who witnessed the incident, reported that Harris then tried to ask another lawmaker, Rep. John Katko, to take the gun for him, but Katko refused as he did not have a license.
House Democrats are attempting to pass an amended rule next month that would fine lawmakers $5,000 if they refuse to cooperate with a metal-detector screening. A second offense could result in a whopping $10,000 fine.
