A staffer for the h attorney general’s office was escorted from a House committee meeting Tuesday after showing he had a gun holstered to his hip, in an apparent attempt to help security.
Legislative officials later said the staffer was authorized to carry a gun in the capitol, and he was allowed back into the room after his identity was verified.
Chris Masters, a supervisory special agent of the h Bureau of Investigation, showed the gun after a woman became upset and walked down the aisle toward the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee, shouting about how her son died in prison and she found out by watching the nightly news.
As sergeant at arms staff approached the woman to remove her from the room, Masters rose as if to help them and showed the gun on his hip. A sergeant at arms, who later declined to comment, escorted him out and scolded him for bringing a gun into the room.
Sergeant at arms staff help oversee security at the Capitol.
The disturbance, which took place around noon, came as the House panel discussed House Bill 323, which aims to ensure correctional facilities inform families about inmate deaths in a timely manner.
Julie Baxter Payer, chief communications officer for the Legislature, said “there was no security breach.”
“An Attorney General’s staff member authorized to carry a gun in the Capitol stepped forward to offer assistance while a member of the House sergeant at arms staff was requesting some family members assist him in escorting out of the room a member of the public visibly upset by testimony being heard on a difficult topic,” the statement said. “Once that person had been escorted out, the House sergeant at arms requested that the Attorney General’s staff member step outside the room briefly to ensure verification of his identity and authorization to carry, which was verified by Capitol Security.”
Lester Duhé, a spokesperson for Murrill’s office, said in a statement that “a special agent with the h Bureau of investigation, a duly sworn law enforcement officer, reacted to a perceived threat. His actions were in accordance with both state law and agency policies.”
The public is generally prohibited from bringing guns into the Capitol, but there are some exceptions for officials.