Ohio GOP Congress members oppose House metal detectors
Holmes WASHINGTON, D.C. —
County GOP Rep. Bob Gibbs has never wanted to bring a gun to the House of Representatives floor even though he has a concealed carry permit. But he believes the institution would be more secure from rioters and other intruders if his colleagues with police and military firearms training were allowed to do so.
“I would feel a lot safer if the Dan Crenshaws of the world were carrying firearms,” Gibbs says of a Texas colleague who formerly was a Navy SEAL.
Gibbs is appalled that Democrats who control the U.S. House of Representatives this week began requiring Congress members to pass through metal detectors to access the House of Representatives floor after last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol and the election of several new GOP Congress members who say they carry guns wherever they go. House of Representatives rules allow Congress members to have guns in their Capitol offices, but not bring them to the House floor.
“If our Democratic colleagues are so afraid of their Republican colleagues, why is the fear only on the House floor?” asks Gibbs, who was observed circumventing one of devices. “We have all these other access points. It doesn’t make any sense. It is fear mongering and drives an agenda that is not healthy for the country.”
Gibbs is among a large group of Republican Congress members who object to the new metal detectors, which he says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi installed without consulting Republicans, “like she’s the queen dictator.”
“This policy makes absolutely no sense,” says Gibbs. “It impedes our ability to do our jobs. When I got off the elevator to go to a vote at 7:30 at night, the line for the metal detector was backed up to the elevator. Social distancing didn’t matter. If you need to leave the House
floor to take a phone call or go to the rest room, now you have to go through the metal detectors again to return to the floor. It makes no sense.”
The House Sergeant at Arms office notified Congress members of the new requirement on Tuesday, saying failure to go through the security screening or carrying prohibited items into the chamber could result in denial of access. Congress members were also told that they’ll be removed from the House floor unless they wear masks to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Champaign County Republican Rep. Jim Jordan objected to the new policies in a Tuesday House of Representatives floor speech, saying “I’ve been here 14 years. I’ve never seen anything like this, and I do not know where this ends, but it is dangerous where they’re taking us.
“I fear for the First Amendment, I fear for the Second Amendment, I fear for the Bill of Rights, I fear for the Constitution,” Jordan continued. “I do not know where this takes us, but it is scary.”
After learning that some Republicans were evading the magnetometers when they entered the House floor, Pelosi announced Wednesday that she will impose stiff fines for circumventing the devices, saying Republicans had disrespected heroic U.S. Capitol Police officers “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,” said Pelosi. “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. It is tragic that this step is necessary, but the Chamber of the People’s House must and will be safe.”
Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who chairs an appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for U.S. Capitol security, said he believes the metal detectors are “entirely appropriate” to keep members of Congress who carry guns from bringing them onto the House of Representatives floor, and the fines that Pelosi wants to impose to “make sure that everybody’s following the rules,” are also appropriate.
“I commend the Speaker for doing that,” said Ryan.
Not all Ohio Republicans object to the devices. Bainbridge Township Republican Rep. Dave Joyce “is happy to abide by all security protocols put in place by USCP and has been complying with requests from officers to use the new metal detectors,” says his
communications director Katherine Sears.
Gibbs argues that the metal detectors and the fines that Pelosi is imposing violate Article 1, Section 6 of the U.S Constitution, which stipulates that Congress members shall be paid for their services and be “privileged from Arrest,” when they attend congressional sessions, except for cases of “Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace.”
“I think it is an illegal search for a member of Congress to go through a metal detector on the way to a vote,” says Gibbs.
He says the screenings are unnecessary because only members of Congress and a few of their “highly screened” staffers have access to the House of Representatives floor, unlike other public places like airports, where he believes magnetometers are appropriate to prevent hijackings.
Gibbs says Republicans are not optimistic they’ll be able to reverse the policy change while Democrats control the legislative body, but they plan to bring their objections to their attention.
“It is so personally insulting to me,” says Gibbs. “We all ran for office to serve the country, to make a better country for the people. To imply that I could possibly do a lethal attack of my fellow members of Congress on the House floor is absurd. This is over the top.”