House Staffer Arrested for Bringing Gun to Capitol Hill Building

Capitol Police arrested a House staffer Friday morning for carrying a nine-millimeter handgun and magazine into a congressional office building.

Ryan Shucard, the press secretary for Pennsylvania Republican Tom Marino, was arrested at about 9:15 AM when the Smith & Wesson pistol turned up as he attempted to pass through security on his way to work at the Cannon House Office Building, according to a police statement. People entering buildings on the Capitol campus, including badge-carrying employees, are required to pass through airport-style metal detectors.

Shucard is charged with carrying a pistol without a license, which is a felony, and is being held at the Capitol Police’s headquarters. Under DC’s gun laws, which are some of the strictest in the nation, carrying a gun outside one’s home or place of business is punishable by up to five years in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

Marino’s chief of staff, Bill Tighe, says Shucard, who lives in Virginia, was placed on an unpaid leave of absence. But Tighe adds that Capitol Police have informed Marino’s office that Shucard might have brought the gun to work by mistake.

“They have said to us they have no reason to believe it’s anything but an accident,” Tighe tells Washingtonian.

Shucard’s arrest bears some similarities to a 2007 incident in which Phillip Thompson, an aide to then-Senator Jim Webb, was arrested after carrying a gun to work. Prosecutors dropped their charges against Thompson after Webb told them Thompson “inadvertently” brought the gun into the Capitol.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.