After gun rallies, Beshear says he’ll look into relaxing Capitol security further
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday his administration is evaluating rules about what people can and cannot bring into the Capitol, but that any changes the administration makes won’t restrict the ability to bring guns into the Capitol.
“We believe that the rules right now, if followed, are appropriate, at least as it comes to firearms, which are constitutionally protected,” Beshear said. “We need to take a look back at some other rules that have been put into place, whether they’re about umbrellas or other issues.”
Under current rules, umbrellas are not allowed in the Capitol but anyone can openly carry a gun so long as they legally possess the firearm, except in the Supreme Court chambers, the House and Senate chambers and the House and Senate gallery.
Those rules sparked public outcry last week after pro-gun activists wearing camouflage spent much of Friday walking around the Capitol carrying large guns. Photos of the activists went viral on social media and were picked up by national publications. One photo showed a group of men lifting their guns above their heads and another showed men carrying guns while wearing ski masks over their faces.
Beshear said security rules prohibit wearing masks inside the Capitol and require handguns to be holstered and rifles to be hanging.
The activists have come to protest the possibility of a “red flag law,” which would allow police or a family member to petition a judge for approval to temporarily take someone’s guns if that person is deemed a threat to themselves or others.
Some legislative leaders have been quick to point out that the Beshear Administration, not the legislature, decides security policies for the Capitol complex.
“I do know there are some people that have expressed concern,” House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said after pointing out that the Second Amendment demonstration was peaceful. “I think that we certainly don’t want people being alarmed by the sights they see.”
Senate President Robert Stivers said Thursday that the three branches of government — executive, judicial and legislative — need to come up with consistent rules about security in the Capitol that would protect everyone’s rights.
Senate Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, has said he will propose legislation to prevent people from carrying a deadly weapon in the Capitol while wearing a mask and said there were several breakdowns in enforcing the regulations already in place during the rally last Friday.
“If I saw someone walk into my office in Louisville holding a gun while concealing their face I would call the cops,” McGarvey said. “Apparently there were several rules and regulations broken that day and we need to look into it.”
In the House, Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, was also hopeful that the existing rules would be better enforced if the same thing happened in the future. But he also expressed concern about the activists, saying it intimidated some of the people who work in the Capitol.
“Many of our employees here at the LRC were deeply unsettled by the presence of an armed militia in the Capitol and the annex buildings,” Graham said. “Some were even afraid to leave their offices to carry out regular duties in the LRC.”
Beshear, though, said he would rather focus on reviewing rules regarding items other than guns.
For example, people are barred from bringing umbrellas into the Capitol and some teachers have said they were not allowed to bring signs on sticks during protests over the past two years.
“I believe that the rules and regulations that we have right now have resulted in peaceful demonstrations,” Beshear said. “We haven’t had any confrontation or any issues in any of the demonstrations we’ve had so far.”
Beshear said he had not heard from anyone expressing discomfort over the activists.
“Anybody who feels uncomfortable ought to feel free to come to us or the finance cabinet that ultimately manages the building and talk to us about it,” Beshear said.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 4:00 PM.
