Rep. Steube Introduces The Safe Storage Lockers for House Office Buildings Act
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced legislation to permit employees of the U.S. House of Representatives, who are lawfully able to possess certain weapons in the District of Columbia, to carry those weapons as self-protection to and from House Office Buildings and safely store them while at work.
The Safe Storage Lockers for House Office Buildings Act requires Capitol Police to install and operate storage lockers at all pedestrian entrances to each House Office Building for the safe storage of weapons brought to the buildings by House employees.
“Violent crime has skyrocketed across the country, enabled by disastrous soft-on-crime Democrat policies. Sadly, our nation’s capital is regressing to total lawlessness and violent chaos. Today, I’m introducing legislation to ensure Congressional employees have the right to defend themselves in crime-ridden D.C.,” said Rep. Greg Steube. “My bill is simple: any employee who is lawfully permitted to carry a firearm, stun gun, or self-defense spray will be able to bring those weapons on their commute to a House Office Building and safely store the weapon until they are ready to depart the building.”
In 2021, there were 2,654 violent crime incidents in the District of Columbia. Many employees of the U.S. House who work in the House Office Buildings in D.C. commute to and from their offices by walking, and many of these employees have been victims of the violent crimes occurring across the district.
Individuals in the district are authorized under D.C. law to carry and use certain weapons for self-defense, including self-defense sprays, stun guns, and concealed firearms. However, D.C. law and federal law prohibit individuals from carrying these weapons inside a federal building. As a result, employees of the House who work in House Office Buildings in D.C. are prohibited from carrying weapons inside the buildings in which they work, even if these employees are authorized under D.C. law to carry and use these weapons for self-defense outside of House buildings.
House Republicans recently used the legislative review process to pass H.J. Res 26 to nullify the D.C. Council’s revised radical criminal code. The revised code seeks to implement soft-on-crime initiatives across the district including eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except first degree murder and lowering maximum punishments for violent crimes such as burglaries, robberies, carjackings. The U.S. Senate passed the resolution on March 8, 2023 and it now awaits the President’s signature.
