Hoyer cites Cawthorn incident in letter to House sergeant-at-arms over Capitol safety

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) wrote to House sergeant-at-arms William Walker on Wednesday about how to improve safety at the Capitol building, citing Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s (R-N.C.) recent incident at a North Carolina airport.

Hoyer, who has written several letters to Walker, asked the House sergeant-at-arms about his thoughts on improving Capitol security and if the Capitol Complex should be a gun-free zone apart from law enforcement.

“Right now, some aspects of existing regulation concerning the possession of firearms in the Capitol Complex or on its grounds are unclear or ambiguous in the understanding of some Members, who believe they have a right to carry personal firearms in these spaces, including committee rooms where they are engaged in committee business,” Hoyer wrote in a letter dated Wednesday.

He noted Cawthorn’s incident, where the North Carolina Republican was accused of attempting to bring a firearm through an airport in his home state, as the reason he thinks there needs to be a “clear and unambiguous policy” regarding guns on Capitol grounds.

“In light of the disturbing news that a Member was detained by police for a second time yesterday at the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, after again trying to bring a loaded firearm onto a commercial flight, it is essential that we have a clear and unambiguous policy in place regarding gun safety in the Capitol Complex and grounds,” Hoyer wrote.  

“This matter concerns the safety and wellbeing of every individual who serves in Congress, who works in the legislative branch, who visits his or her representative’s office, who tours the historic U.S. Capitol, and who stands guard here as part of the Capitol Police or other law enforcement agency,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to the offices of the House sergeant-at-arms and Cawthorn for comment. 

Cawthorn was also the subject of another letter from Democrats, this time to Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske, where Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) on Thursday urged the TSA to hold the North Carolina Republican accountable.