Well, this is a bit odd. The U.S. Capitol Police arrested a congressional staffer on Monday morning after he was caught trying to smuggle ammo into the Cannon House Office Building.
The staffer works for Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), who currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is the Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration.
The USCP said in a statement:
At approximately 8:45 a.m., a House staffer entered the Cannon House Office Building and put his bag through screening. USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen. After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition. The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag. 38-year-old Michael Hopkins was arrested, and he is facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition, including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine.”
He "forgot" about the ammo in the same way I've forgotten which lake my AR-15s disappeared into after that tragic boating accident last year.
It's not clear whether Hopkins is licensed to carry a firearm in the notoriously strict District of Columbia. Even if he does possess a license to carry, he may not be permitted to possess ammo outside the confines of his home or place of business, according to a D.C. criminal defense attorney:
When a person’s firearm is registered, they can keep ammunition for that firearm at their home or place of business. However, if they are found to be in possession of that ammunition outside of their home or place of business and they do not have the proper licensing to do that, they can be still charged with the crime. A separate license is required to carry the firearm and ammunition for that firearm outside of someone’s home or place of business.
Morelle's office said in a statement on Monday:
This morning, our office was informed that a member of our staff was arrested by Capitol Police. We are currently gathering more information regarding the circumstances of the arrest. Our office is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation. As Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Congressman Morelle is devoted to ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all.
According to his House bio, Morelle is a member of the Gun Violence Task Force, which makes this a little awkward, no? (He's also a member of the "Wine Caucus," which I didn't know existed until one minute ago.)
The suspect, Michael Hopkins, is listed as Morelle's communications director. He's also worked for Charlie Cris (ew) and the Hillary for America campaign. Lately, he's been tweeting/retweeting a lot about trans bathrooms in Congress and congressional offices. Make of that what you will.
This is a developing story.