Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)In 2007, outgoing Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Pickle warned about the potential of a terrorist attack on the United States Capitol. Specifically, Mr. Pickle warned that: Nothing has changed since 9/11. The Capitol is the symbol of America all over the world, and it’s clearly the No. 1 or No. 2 target of terrorists, as it was on 9/11. (2)The first bombing of the Capitol occurred in the Senate in 1915 by a man protesting United States involvement in World War I. (3)On March 1, 1954, 4 Puerto Rican nationalists armed with .38 caliber revolvers entered the visitors’ gallery of the House of Representatives and fired a total of 19 shots at Members and staff while the House was in session and conducting a vote, and 5 Members were struck by the gunfire. (4)In 1971, a group named the Weather Underground planted an explosive device in a first-floor restroom in the Senate to protest United States military involvement in the Vietnam War. The device detonated early in the morning when the building was closed, causing extensive damages but no injuries. (5)In 1983, a man carrying an improvised explosive device strapped to his body entered the visitors’ gallery of the House of Representatives while the House was in session. He was able to construct the device in such a manner as to avoid detection during security screening. During a floor debate, the man attempted to detonate the device until United States Capitol Police officers restrained him, removed him from the gallery, and secured the device. (6)Also in 1983, a group named the Armed Resistance Unit planted an explosive device on the second floor of the Senate, outside the Senate Chamber, to protest United States military involvement in Central America. The device detonated at 11:00 p.m. causing extensive damage to the area around the Chamber. At the time, the Senate had already recessed and no one was in the area when the blast occurred. (7)On July 24, 1998, a lone gunman entered the Document Door of the Capitol and immediately shot and killed the officer posted at location. The gunman then exchanged gunfire with another officer before fleeing further into the building where he engaged in another gunfight in which a second officer was killed. The gunman was shot several times during this incident. (8)On the terrible and fateful morning of September 11, 2001, the people of the United States became painfully aware of the destructive intent of terrorists as well as the increasingly sophisticated and devastating methods by which they conduct their deadly work. Evidence strongly suggests Members of Congress were and continue to remain a terrorist target. (9)On December 25, 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab successfully smuggled a non-metallic explosive onto a Detroit-bound commercial flight from Amsterdam. The inability of walk-through metal detectors to screen for nonmetallic weapons and explosives is a critical weakness in aviation security and a critical weakness in Capitol security. (10)One of the Capitol’s most vulnerable locations is the House of Representatives Visitors’ Gallery because of its wide open access to the House Floor. (11)The visitors’ galleries of the House of Representatives and the Senate are the frequent target of demonstrators. Whenever the House or Senate is debating a subject that is controversial or polarizing, it is not uncommon for disturbances and acts of civil disobedience to occur in the galleries. (12)The importance of the House Chamber to our Government’s identity is profound. It is the one place where the entire Legislative Branch, Representatives and Senators, along with Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet officials, and foreign dignitaries gather together to hear the President give the State of the Union Address.