The bill would let House employees, including interns and fellows, bring certain District of Columbia-authorized self-defense sprays, stun guns, or firearms into listed House office buildings. Employees would have to enter through an outside pedestrian entrance, store the weapon in a Capitol Police-operated locker while inside, and leave immediately after retrieving it. The Capitol Police Board would have 180 days after enactment to provide lockers at those entrances and issue related rules.
The change would apply to House employees, interns, and fellows—not the general public. It would cover the Cannon, Longworth, Rayburn, Ford, and O’Neill House Office Buildings and the House wing of the Capitol, but not their garages. Employees would still need to follow District of Columbia laws for carrying the weapon outside the building.
No publicly available information about the cost or funding is provided in the bill.
The bill’s findings cite violent crime in the District of Columbia and say some House employees walk to and from work and have been crime victims. No publicly available information about other proponents’ views is provided.
No publicly available information.