Posted on 12/02/2024 12:25:09 PM PST by Signalman
A staffer for Democratic Representative Joe Morelle (D-NY) was arrested on Friday on Capitol Hill after Capitol Police discovered ammunition in his bag during routine security screening at the Cannon House Office Building.
Michael Hopkins, 38, was charged with unlawful possession of ammunition following the incident. According to Capitol Police, Hopkins placed his bag through an X-ray scanner at the security checkpoint, where officers identified suspicious items on the screen. Upon further inspection, they found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition inside his bag, according to WROC.
Hopkins reportedly told officers he had forgotten the ammunition was there, according to investigators. The discovery immediately triggered heightened security measures, although no firearms were found in Hopkins’ possession or linked to the incident. He was taken into custody and faces charges of illegal ammunition possession, including one count for having a high-capacity magazine.
"This morning, our office was informed that a member of our staff was arrested by Capitol Police,” said Congressman Morelle’s Chief of Staff Jo Stiles following the arrest.
“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,” Stiles finished.
The arrest has drawn attention to federal laws governing firearms and ammunition in the District of Columbia, which has some of the nation’s strictest regulations. Under D.C. law, possession of ammunition is illegal unless the individual holds a valid firearm registration certificate.
“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,” Capitol Police revealed in a statement to Fox News.
“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,” the statement added.
On Monday morning, Morelle’s office stated that it was in the process of gathering additional information regarding the arrest.
“Our office is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation,” read the statement from Morelle’s office. “As Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Congressman Morelle is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure workplace for everyone.”
Congressman Morelle, representing New York’s 25th district, is ironically a strong advocate for comprehensive gun reform. He has sponsored and co-sponsored several legislative measures aimed at reducing gun violence and enhancing public safety.
This arrest comes as lawmakers and their staff continue to navigate heightened scrutiny and intense partisanship in the nation’s capital.
“Probing”
Do you hunk he wants a pardon?
There was a case of a man driving through DC and stopped for a traffic violation. The DC cops arrested him when they found ONE ROUND in his car.
I expect that since this man was a dem staffer, the case will fizzle after going to court. Probably just a fine.
>>That’s attempted assassination, with the NY Rep as an accessory. They can both be bankrupted and forced to endure trials for the next 2-4 years.
He likely walked into the building too. Add “parading” to the charges.
I've had a round slip out of a magazine and wind up in the bottom of the bag. Forgotten an extra magazine. It happens.
This sounds like a violent insurrection case to me.
Whatever happened to the Democrat homo having sex on camera in an hearing room? That quietly and quickly disappeared.
Loose rounds can wind up in the strangest places. I had an old motorcycle jacket that I didn’t know had a hole in the pocket. Three 9mm rounds wound up in the lining in the sleeve of all places.
I don’t know how many times that jacket went through screening before those rounds showed up.
It’s only a matter of time though before one administration or another decides to take a ‘zero tolerance’ approach and throw the book at innocent mistakes.
What happened to the staffer who had gay sex and videoed it in some room in the Capital?
Hmmmm. I have conflicting thoughts. The statutes and rules for DC prohibit taking firearms into the Capitol. BUT, the Second Amendment says, “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
So, can someone show me where in the prevailing, federal preemptive Constitutional law that the 2nd Amendment allows prohibition of weapons in the Capitol? It matters not if the aid was a democrat/republican/independent or not registered. The Second Amendment is broad and is not restrictive to classes or locations.
Would I do it? No! But am I prohibited? No! I think a higher law grants the right. The Second says that the right “. . . shall not be infringed.”
Just my $0.02
Gwjack
Well, when someone puts his own bag through the X-ray scanner, I’m inclined to believe he had forgotten about it.
The story says he didn’t have a registration permit for the gun. A possible loose end is whether he was lawfully registered in Virginia or Maryland, where he might live, but doesn’t have a DC registration. That happens all the time when suburban commuters forget about what they have in the trunk and then get into a traffic stop in DC.
DC’s rules in this area are quite intricate, but basically DC won’t throw the book at a suburban guy who makes a simple mistake. But this was in the Capitol Building, which is a separate jurisdiction. I don’t know what the rules are there.
Ah GMTA. It’s hard to read every last minute post when one is in the process of posting.
Did Lt. Byrd shoot the perp?
Bingo!
You betcha! It needs to be SEVERAL deep sweeps of every nook and cranny before Trump steps foot to take up residence.
$5 he’s released without bail.
I see that activity at the Cannon HOB as exploiting an access point and a lowly staffer as potentially a fall guy who'd like to quickly rise through the ranks with "courageous fealty" to the "Stop-PDJT-at-any-cost!" mission.
Maybe a sympathetic Capitol Hill Policeman was working the to-be-exploited scanner station, but perhaps that cop knew his supervisor was looking in over his shoulder and he didn't want to loose his gig.
It’s deja vu all over again. The charges against Cory were ultimately dropped, but he never got his gun back.
I got stopped in TSA with a Case XX 6.5” Folding Hunter in a bag that had like 20 zippered pockets.
You would have thought they caught a bank robber in the act!
But based on my reaction, I guess, the TSA guy took me aside and handed it back to me and said I could take it to my car. When I said I didn’t have time, he whispered that I should take it to the airport police and have them put it in their lost and found with my name on it!
Two weeks later, when I got back, I went to the lost and found and sure enough it was there! I got a few strange looks from the officer that handed it to me but all was good!!
This was in Cincinnati. Your results may differ significantly in a blue airport.
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