Guards at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will no longer carry guns

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

HARRISBURG - Not so long ago, in the name of security, top state House leaders championed the need to give the chamber's guards the power to carry guns. Not anymore. House officials have quietly decided to strip the roughly 16 uniformed guards, who also act as the chamber's sergeants-at-arms, of their firearms. They did so after discovering that one had been carrying a gun for years despite a criminal history.

That security officer was fired in early May, and three who supervised him resigned shortly afterward, according to House records and interviews. House Speaker Sam Smith (R., Jefferson), the top official in the 203-member chamber, would not talk about the matter. Also declining comment were other senior House officials, including one who said publicity would create the perception of a security risk.

But the incident has raised the question of whether the House's security staff had sufficient policies in place for screening and background checks - and whether they should have been armed in the first place. Security guards for the Senate do not carry weapons, and the Capitol complex is already protected by the Capitol Police, an accredited force whose officers receive extensive training in firearms, emergency management, hazardous materials, and riot control.

"We are the first line of defense," said Dave DeLellis, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 85, which represents Capitol police officers and which has raised concerns about House guards carrying weapons. "That is part of the core function we provide in the Capitol, and we consider ourselves to be the best at it," DeLellis said.


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