Several Republican lawmakers threw fits over new metal detectors at the Capitol
To get to the floor of the House, members of Congress now have to go through metal detectors, and this was too much for some Republican lawmakers to handle.
The metal detectors were set up by Capitol Police on Tuesday, nearly a week after the Capitol riot, and all House members, staffers, and aides must walk through them. In a memo, Acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett said the metal detectors were installed to ensure everyone is in compliance with regulations banning guns and incendiary devices from the chamber, CNN reports.
"There have been increasing tensions with certain incoming freshmen for months, who have been insistent on bringing firearms in violation of law and guidelines," one House Democrat told CNN, referring to Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.) and Madison Cawthorn (N.C.). Last week, Cawthorn told a news outlet that when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, he was armed, while Boebert has been boasting for weeks that she would carry her handgun at all times.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Tuesday, Boebert set off a metal detector, then refused to show Capitol Police officers what was in her bag; after a brief standoff, she was let through. Boebert wasn't the only one to cause a scene:
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) immediately fired off an angry tweet, saying lawmakers are "being wanded like criminals! We now live in [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi's communist America!" Lesko and the rest of the anti-metal detector crowd got no sympathy from Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who said they now know how high school students in her district feel. "Suck it up buttercups," she added. "Y'all brought this on yourselves." Catherine Garcia
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
- 
Regal Scottish castle hotelsThe Week Recommends These rural retreats are perfect for a Traitors-inspired cosy winter break
 - 
Will the public buy Rachel Reeves’ tax rises?Today’s Big Question The Chancellor refused to rule out tax increases in her televised address, and is set to reverse pledges made in the election manifesto
 - 
Margaret Atwood’s ‘deliciously naughty’ memoirIn the Spotlight ‘Bean-spilling’ book by The Handmaid’s Tale author is ‘immensely readable’
 
- 
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suitSpeed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
 - 
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
 - 
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
 - 
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
 - 
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
 - 
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
 - 
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
 - 
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
 
