WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) offered an amendment to H.R. 8772 – Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2025, which would allow Congressional staff to carry firearms on the United States Capitol Campus.
Amendment #11: Prohibits any funds made available by this Act from being used to restrict a member of Congress from authorizing their staff members to carry a firearm in their official duties.
“Congressional staff should never be forced to be defenseless in one of the most dangerous cities in the country,” said Rep. Rosendale.“My commonsense amendment returns the rights enshrined in the 2nd Amendment to the staffers who work to protect it daily. Leadership gets a security detail to protect them, on the other hand, staff cannot.”
Key Background:
In 2023, there were 274 homicides in Washington, D.C., the highest number in a quarter century, amounting to a nearly 50% increase since 2015. This is even though most major cities had a decrease in murders in 2023.
In 2023, there were 3,470 robberies in Washington, D.C., a 67% increase from 2022.
A member of Congress was carjacked outside of his Washington, D.C. apartment. There have been numerous reports of Congressional staffers robbed, beaten up, and bloodied going to and leaving work.
