An aide to a U.S. Congress member was arrested Friday morning as he attempted to carry a nine-millimeter handgun into a congressional office building.
Ryan Shucard, who was hired as a press secretary for Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Tom Marino on May 27, was taken into custody about 9:15 a.m. after carrying a Smith & Wesson pistol to a security check point entering into the building. The gun was not loaded, U.S. Capitol Police told TIME. Shucard has been charged with Carrying a Pistol Without a License, a felony.
It is illegal to carry a gun outside of one’s home or business in Washington, D.C.
Bill Tighe, Congressman Marino’s chief of staff, told TIME the Capitol Police indicated that Shucard taking a gun to the Cannon office building is likely not “anything other than an accident.”
“I think it is a situation where he lives in Virginia and he transported the firearm into D.C. accidentally,” Tighe said. “We’re very disappointed that he did not display responsible gun ownership.”
Tighe said he spoke with Shucard this morning at the time of his arrest.
“He’s broken up,” he said. “He’s disappointed in himself.”
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