(KCPW News) Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz is against a proposal to make it illegal to carry a gun within 1,000 feet of a federal official, which is being debated after the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Speaking on PBS NewsHour, he said there shouldn’t be special rules or laws for members of Congress.
“I really disagree with that approach,” he said. “We have to be cautious, we have to be vigilant, but we also can’t be scared, and we’ve got to continue to have vibrant, public debate on the public corner.”
While Chaffetz said he feels safe and protected in Washington, DC, he’s concerned about staff members back in his Utah district offices.
“In our own, individual districts, I do think we’re going to have to step up and take more seriously some of those threats that every member of Congress on both sides of the aisle unfortunately gets via the Internet or other means, and we’re going to have to take those a little bit more seriously,” Chaffetz said.
Chaffetz has had a concealed weapons permit since before he was elected to Congress in 2008. However, he told host Judy Woodruff that he doesn’t bring a gun to Washington, and he doesn’t think anyone should decide to get one because of the shooting.
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