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Openly carried weapons banned in Capitol public hearings

The Columbian
Published: January 27, 2015, 4:00pm

OLYMPIA — A decision to ban openly carried weapons in the House and Senate public viewing areas also applies to the public hearing rooms at the Capitol’s legislative office buildings, officials from both chambers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

At the end of the first week of the legislative session earlier this month, the Senate announced the open-carry ban in the public galleries that sit above the chamber floor, and was quickly followed by the House early last week. Leaders in both chambers said they considered openly carried guns the same as any prop used for a demonstration, which is not allowed under each chamber’s rules.

Hunter Goodman, the secretary of the Senate, said he conferred last week with Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, a Democrat who serves as president of the Senate, to confirm that the rules also applied to the public hearing rooms.

Goodman said that just as in the Senate public galleries, signs and other props were previously not allowed in the hearing room. He said that the decision maintains consistency for the chamber to maintain decorum and safety in the hearing rooms, as in the galleries.

“We have to make sure we’re maintaining public safety while the public hearings are going on,” Goodman said.

Goodman said that new signs noting the prohibition on openly carried weapons, including firearms and blades, will be put up in the Senate office building as early as Wednesday. Signs have already been placed outside the committee rooms in the House building.

Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, said that rule for the committee hearings took effect at the same time it did in the House gallery.

“It’s the same philosophy as in the gallery,” said Sullivan “We want to ensure that committees are able to operate just as we do on the floor. I think the use of props apply in committee rooms just as they do in the gallery.”

Bob Calkins, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol, said that as in the public galleries, if someone openly carries a weapon in the public hearing rooms, they’ll be directed to leave. If they decline, they will be subject to arrest for criminal trespass.

People can still bring their concealed guns into the galleries and committee rooms, as long as they have a concealed pistol license. Openly carried weapons are still allowed in the main public areas of the Capitol and on the grounds of the Capitol campus.

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