Guns and Toilets at the U.S. Capitol

U.S. Capitol Police get Bathroom Training

The U.S. Capitol Police force received special training in 2015. The topic? How to use public toilets without leaving their guns behind.

USCP officers had accidentally left their guns behind in restrooms in the Capitol building three times during the first four months of the year. Several news organizations reported the story in May 2015.

The Chief officer of that armed police force, Kim C. Dine, was called to explain the matter to Congress. He said:

"We are now providing additional training on what to do when you have to go to the bathroom."

Two of the weapons were left behind by officers on special details protecting more prominent Congress members, one for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and another for Speaker of the House John Boehner.

A child reported to be of 7 or 8 years of age found the gun left in the bathroom of the House Speaker's office suite.

The officer on McConnell's protective force left his pistol and extra magazine in the toilet seat cover holder at the Capitol Visitor Center.

Glock pistol and spare magazine left in a bathroom stall at the U.S. Capitol Visitor center.

As expected, the USCP complained that the reports of improper weapons handling "should not have been released to the public, as these are law enforcement sensitive, internal personnel matters currently under investigation."

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CQ Roll Call was the first to report on the incidents. The Capitol Visitor Center incident happened on January 29. The one in the House Speaker's Office, found by a child, was on March 24. Then a third one was found the night of April 16 by a janitor in the Capitol Police headquarters building. At least that one was in the police headquarters bathroom.

The U.S. Capitol Police force has exclusive jurisdiction within all buildings and grounds of the U.S. Capitol complex plus the Library of Congress.

That includes a lot of bathrooms.

Members of Congress Want to Carry Their Own Guns

January 2021
Insurrection

A mob of supporters of GOP President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. They aimed to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election. Trump, his family, and his lawyers had been inciting violence against political opponents and the media throughout his time in office. Since his decisive loss by over 7 million votes in the election, they had been telling his followers that the election had been "stolen". Some of the rioters were prepared to take captives, which some planned to assassinate.

Metal detectors were soon installed near the entrance to the chamber of the House of Representatives.

Within a week, at least a dozen Republican lawmakers were refusing to pass through the magnetometers. Many verbally abused the security personnel.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, proposed a rule to fine members who violated security protocols, $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for the second.

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After about a week, U.S. Capitol Police finally devised a plan to use desks and ropes to keep lawmakers from walking around the metal detectors. Multiple Republican lawmakers were caught trying to bring guns into the House chamber.

Members are allowed to carry a gun in the office buildings, in the Capitol, and on Capitol grounds. However, they are explicitly forbidden to carry guns into the House of Representative chamber.

With 435 members, 211 of them Republican at the time of the insurrection, that's a lot more opportunities for guns to be left in bathrooms.

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