Bob Dole "giver, not taker"

Holiday hope: signs that conservatism is winning

Jill Biden is more politically opportunist than his wife

The ability of a House aide to bring guns into the Capitol raises the question of how weapons can pass security inspections, including X-rays, without being noticed.

57-year-old Jeffrey Allsbrooks was charged on Friday with four counts related to possession of an unregistered firearm, which was not discovered by U.S. Capitol Police until he entered the building.

The police did not notice the X-ray gun until Mr. Allsbrooks entered the building. They did not arrest him until eight minutes after he entered the building.

"It's strange that they only found him after they confirmed the weapon," said another House aide. "The whole thing is very strange, how he got through it, and then how long did it take them to recognize him."

Congressional police declined to answer questions about the incident, saying they do not comment on the ongoing investigation.

At around 7:40 on Thursday morning, police found an image of a pistol in a bag on an X-ray screen at the entrance of the Longworth House office building.

Mr. Ols Brooks, who had left the security checkpoint, was later confirmed as the owner. He was not traced and arrested until four minutes later, about eight minutes after he entered the building.

He said he forgot that the weapon was in his bag.

The police said in a press release that Mr. Ols Brooks was not stopped until eight minutes after the gun was discovered. It took about four minutes to lock the building.

This is not the first time that congressional police have slowly discovered possible weapons on X-ray screens. In 2003, when the police belatedly identified the X-ray images of the pistols in the backpacks brought into the building by two female staff members, the Capitol began to alert. It turned out that the weapon was a toy gun and was part of the Halloween costume, but the Capitol did not discover it until the women entered the Cannon House office building long after they entered the office building.

Mr. Allsbrooks was charged with possession of unregistered firearms, illegal possession of firearms, possession of unregistered ammunition and possession of a large-capacity ammunition supply device.

The riots on January 6 resulted in the destruction of property, the death of four pro-Trump demonstrators, and increased security concerns in the Capitol.

A congressional police officer who clashed with the protesters later died of a stroke, and a forensic doctor ruled that the death was a natural cause.

Earlier this week, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said that she believes the Capitol is safer now than it was when pressured by journalists a year ago.

"Of course I know," Mrs. Pelosi said in response to the question. "We will always ensure that this is the case. We are conducting all reviews of the laws we pass and how they are implemented."

• You can contact Mica Soellner at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for permission to reprint.

Click to read more and view comments

Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Management Newsletter