As Republicans take control of House, members fear watered down security

Two years after the January 6 insurrection, fresh fears are being raised over safety for lawmakers and staff at the US Capitol, especially as Republicans have stripped away some of the security measures installed in the wake of the deadly attack on Congress.

House Republicans, who secured a narrow majority in the 2022 midterm elections, removed the metal detectors outside the House chamber ready for the first day of business of the 118th Congress on Tuesday, 3 January.

The Democrats had installed the facilities after a mob of extremist supporters of Donald Trump had stormed the Capitol in 2021 in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.

The magnetometers’ removal came not just at a symbolically significant time heading up to the two-year anniversary on Friday of the Capitol attack, but also as federal lawmakers face increased risk.

US Capitol Police reported 9,625 threats and directions of interest, which means actions or statements that cause concern, against members of Congress in 2021, compared with 3,939 in 2017. Metal detectors remain at the entrance of Congress for visitors and members of the public.

Nevada Democratic representative Steven Horsford, incoming chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, criticized the removal of the metal detectors outside the House chamber, citing increased threats against lawmakers.

“Over the last two years since 2020, members of Congress, particularly members of color, have been under direct attack in our districts, in DC, in the communities – and House Democrats worked to enhance those protections, not just for ourselves, but by passing legislation for our constituents,” Horsford said, speaking to the Guardian on his way to a meeting at the Capitol two days ago.

“And now, the Republicans want to roll those protections back just like they want to roll back protections for women, protections for immigrants, protections for labor.

“They’re not here to serve the people – they’re here to serve their special interest and that’s why we have to do everything we can to make sure their term in the [House] majority is very short,” he added.

Maryland Democratic congressman and member of the recently-disbanded House select committee investigating the Capitol attack and Trump’s role in it, Jamie Raskin, voiced similar security concerns.

“The January 6 select committee said that the forces that Trump arrayed against us are still out there,” Raskin said. “We need to be taking every precaution to make sure that January 6 [2021] doesn’t become a dress rehearsal for the next event.”

Democratic former House speaker Nancy Pelosi had security officials erect the metal detectors to check members of congress for weapons. These devices quickly became a flashpoint in the bitterly-politicized discourse surrounding January 6, which was further intensified by deep partisan division over gun access in the US.

Many Republican members of Congress were unwilling to criticize the rioters that broke into and damaged the Capitol, shaking American democracy two years ago. The mob rampaged through the corridors, chasing and attacking police officers, while also threatening violence against lawmakers of both political parties, who had to flee for their lives. Republicans and the House January 6 Committee, meanwhile, both released reports that present dueling narratives.

The bipartisan House committee directly blamed Trump for fanning the flames of insurrection. The Republican report, however, focused on security failures and did not explore rioters’ efforts to thwart Biden’s certification, CNN reported.

Following the Capitol attack, some lawmakers were leery of their own colleagues and thought that it was necessary to screen other representatives for firearms or other weapons.

At first, several House Republicans refused to go through the magnetometers, entering the chamber without undergoing weapons screening, and were subsequently fined.

Several Republicans heralded the detectors’ removal this week, including Lauren Boebert, a Republican Colorado representative and gun rights activist. Boebert, who got into a seeming dispute with an officer following the detectors’ installation – wouldn’t say whether she would bring a gun onto the House Floor.

“I think they should be removed from the Capitol, filled with Tannerite and blown up,” Boebert told the New York Post shortly before the metal detectors were taken away, referring to an explosive material that’s used on firearms range targets.

“They should not feel unsafe,” Boebert said of Democrats voicing safety concerns. “If they do, they should come see me for a concealed-carry weapons permit and I can make sure they are locked and loaded in Washington, DC, legally.”

Democratic representative Ted Lieu was disconcerted by the prospect of armed representatives on the House floor.

“I’m awfully concerned that Lauren Boebert wouldn’t answer on whether she would bring a gun to the House floor,” Lieu told the Guardian. “We have security here on the House floor, so there’s no reason for any member to bring a gun on to the House floor.”