Sponsor
W. Greg Steube
Representative · R-FL
Representative · R-FL
The bill expands and clarifies a secured locker option and employee coverage (including interns) to improve on-duty access and oversight of permitted weapons, at the cost of added security risks if lockers are breached, increased administrative complexity and expense, and uneven access for those without D.C. carry authorization.
House employees (including interns and fellows) can securely store permitted self-defense weapons in Capitol Police lockers while working, reducing the need to carry firearms in offices and lowering the chance they are unarmed when leaving.
Capitol Police authority to manage on-site weapon storage creates consistent rules and oversight, reducing unsecured weapons inside office buildings and lowering accidental access or misuse.
Recognizing the legal mismatch between D.C. carry rules and federal building prohibitions and explicitly covering interns/fellows reduces ambiguity about who is covered and could prompt policy solutions that simplify compliance.
House employees and Capitol Police face increased risk if locker security is breached: stored firearms could be stolen or accessed by unauthorized persons, producing potential theft, diversion, or workplace violence.
Allowing employees to bring weapons to work and instituting a locker program increases administrative and operational burdens for Capitol Police and House offices — complicating access screening, storage management, supervision, and enforcement.
The policy's reliance on D.C. carry authorization may exclude employees who live or are authorized elsewhere, creating uneven access and legal confusion over who may store weapons on Capitol grounds.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Creates USCP-operated external lockers at House office buildings allowing eligible House employees to store specified self-defense weapons while inside workspaces.
Official title: To permit employees of the House of Representatives who are authorized to possess certain weapons in the District of Columbia to bring such weapons into House Office Buildings for secure storage, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 27, 2025 by W. Greg Steube · Last progress February 27, 2025
Allows House of Representatives employees to carry certain self-defense weapons into House office buildings only to deposit them in U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) lockers at external pedestrian entrances and retrieve them when leaving. Requires the U.S. Capitol Police Board to install and operate those lockers and issue implementing regulations within 180 days, and creates a narrow statutory exception to the general federal prohibition on weapons in Capitol buildings for items stored under this program. The law covers self-defense spray, stun guns, and firearms if the employee is lawfully authorized under D.C. law to possess/carry the item immediately before entry; it defines covered buildings and House employees (including interns and fellows).