John,

Two years ago, insurrectionists stormed our nation’s Capitol in a (thankfully) unsuccessful attempt to upend our democracy by overturning the 2020 Presidential election and blocking the transfer of power to President Biden.

The deadly aftermath of January 6th, 2021 revealed glaring gaps in Capitol security. One that remains today is the lack of screening of Members of Congress – and often, the people accompanying them – upon entry to the Capitol.

Now, House rules state that firearms are prohibited on Capitol grounds, except in members’ personal offices – but without a screening protocol in place, there is no way to enforce those rules. Many of my GOP colleagues boast about flouting these rules, and when Democrats installed metal detectors at entrances to the House Chamber in the last Congress, some Republicans were caught trying to illegally bring guns onto the House Floor.

Gun violence can happen in any workplace. Tragic gun accidents happen every day. Members of Congress and their staff are not immune to these realities. Yet the first thing the GOP House majority did was remove the metal detectors and member-screening processes that Democrats had put in place after the Capitol riot.

Congressman Matt Gaetz was recently quoted as saying his fellow Republicans started carrying guns onto the House floor “the day that metal detectors came down…Maybe the day before.”

And just last month, Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee – on which I sit – voted to defeat an amendment to committee rules that would have prohibited firearms in the hearing room.

You saw what happened on January 6th, 2021. You know that many Republicans in Congress encouraged, aided and abetted the insurrectionists. At least one of my Republican colleagues on January 5, 2021 gave a private tour of the Capitol complex to several individuals who participated in the insurrection the next day. And you know that many House Republicans continue to traffic in hateful, violent political rhetoric. All of it underscores the growing internal security threat that we must address so that our nation's Capitol will be safe for everyone who visits and works there. Allowing members and their staff and friends to bypass security makes us all less safe and it’s just a matter of time before something terrible happens. That’s the bottom line, John.

That’s why I’ve called on President Biden to appoint a new Capitol architect who can close loopholes in security protocol and better enforce existing rules. If you’re with me, add your name here.

You can hear more about our call to action in my recent interview with NBC news:
 
Let’s keep advocating for the commonsense and foresight necessary to preventing gun violence wherever possible.

Thanks for taking a stand.

Jared