This Friday marks the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol which left five people dead, including a police officer, and yet House Republicans who now control the lower chamber of Congress thought it would be a great idea to remove all metal detectors on their first day in power.
According to Axios:
Why it matters: The magnetometers were installed outside the House chamber in January 2021 to beef up security after the attack, but some Republicans have vocally opposed the increased security checks.
- Eight Republicans and one Democrat were fined thousands of dollars for not passing through magnetometers required to enter the House chamber, the New York Times reported in 2021.
Driving the news: A rules package for the new Congress removes “Democrat fines for failure of Members to comply with unscientific mask mandates and security screenings before entering the House floor,” Republicans on the House Rules Committee said.
As the metal detectors were being removed, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) posted a video on Twitter in which she praised the move, suggesting that Republicans were returning the chamber to the days when it was “the people’s House.” However, she failed to explain how she or any of her GOP colleagues will protect members if another violent attack takes place on the seat of government. Boebert proudly declared:
“When I arrived in Congress two years, Nancy Pelosi put this hunk of garbage outside of the House chambers for members of Congress to go through. Today, they are being removed and we are turning Pelosi’s House back into the people’s House.”
Yes, indeed. What could possibly go wrong?
One reply on “Republicans Remove Metal Detectors From The House – Three Days Before The Anniversary Of Jan. 6”
Maybe it’s a good idea. If the American public has to live in constant fear of being shot to death anywhere anytime by some psycho who easily acquired an AR-15 despite numerous red flags, maybe members of Congress should too.