GOP Defeats Democratic Amendment To Ban Guns In House Committee

The new GOP-controlled House Rules Committee, brought about by the 2022 midterm elections in which Republicans retook the House of Representatives, removed a provision from the previously Democrat-controlled House which banned firearms in hearing rooms and committees.

The House Natural Resources Committee, which held its first meeting last Wednesday, quickly became hostile as its Republican members defeated an amendment by its Democratic members to ban firearms from the committee’s hearing room.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California) proposed the measure, arguing that it’s a “major issue of safety for members of our committee.”

“With threats against members of Congress at an all-time high, now is not the time to be stripping members of our constitutional right to defend ourselves,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), a member of the House Natural Resources Committee.

“It was the first time in many, many years that I have been unprotected. I was disarmed, not unarmed, disarmed because I was not allowed to possess my firearm,” she added, speaking of the two years prior that Democrats had prevented firearms in the House. Boebert was elected to Congress in 2020.

Boebert also accused Huffman of performing a “political stunt.”

The installation of metal detectors after the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot has upset many Republicans.

Many Republicans have argued that security resources should be used elsewhere and that the Democrat-controlled House was infringing on their rights to carry weapons. Republicans accused Democrats of making a political statement instead of promoting real security measures.

The rules did not stop all members of Congress from bringing their weapons to work. Democrats were forced to include a fine of $5000 for members who avoided metal detectors, such as Rep. Andy Harris (R-Maryland) just weeks after the January 6 attack.