Calif Lawmakers Barred From Having Guns In Capitol
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- The speaker of the California Assembly is blocking permission given to four lawmakers to carry concealed weapons inside the state Capitol.
John Vigna, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker John Perez, said Friday the speaker believes the job of providing security is best left to Assembly officials and the California Highway Patrol, which guards the Capitol. He says Perez asked the Assembly's chief sergeant-at-arms to rescind the permits.
The Assembly would not release the names of the four lawmakers who had sought the permission.
Sergeants-at-arms in the Assembly began carrying .40-caliber semiautomatic handguns full-time this week in response to recent threats against state lawmakers and the shooting of a congresswoman in Arizona in January.
The Senate's chief sergeant, Tony Beard, says no senator has asked to carry a weapon.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
