Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, revealed that he and several congressional colleagues were armed during the violent Capitol Hill breach on Wednesday.
In a Friday morning interview on The Tom Roten Morning Show, Massie described his experience during the congressional lockdown, stating that he was “glad” to be armed amid the chaos.
“We barricaded the doors, and I was armed, so another congressman joined me and his staff,” Massie told Roten.
The legislator argued that the events of Wednesday should serve as a reminder to politicians who support strict gun control measures about the importance of the Second Amendment.
“The next member who argues Congressmen shouldn’t be allowed to carry firearms at work needs to be laughed out of the Capitol,” he tweeted Thursday evening. “Several of us were glad to be armed while barricaded for hours in our offices with our staff.”
The next member who argues Congressmen shouldn’t be allowed to carry firearms at work needs to be laughed out of the Capitol. Several of us were glad to be armed while barricaded for hours in our offices with our staff. https://t.co/faxRlAt6xw
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 8, 2021
Massie is not the only member of the House to have expressed support for legislators carrying weapons in the halls of Congress. Newly elected Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, gained national attention when she asked U.S. Capitol Police for permission to carry a gun on Capitol Hill.
“Even though I now work in one of the most liberal cities in America, I refused to give up my rights, especially my Second Amendment rights,” Boebert said in a video posted on her Twitter page. “I will carry my firearm in D.C. and in Congress.”
Current regulations allow for members of Congress to carry concealed firearms on Capitol grounds so long as they comply with local requirements that include demonstrating proficiency with the weapon via a range test and passing background checks.
