Reports of Gunfire at the U.S. Capitol

**TheBluesMan** · May 26, 2006, 10:12 AM

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/26/D8HRHFM80.html

Quote:

Capitol Police Probing Reports of Gunfire
May 26 10:58 AM US/Eastern

WASHINGTON

Shots were fired in the garage of a House office building Friday as police sealed off the neaby Capitol.

Capitol police were investigating "the sound of gunfire in the garage level of the Rayburn House Office Building," said an announcement on the internal Capitol voice alarm system.

The Senate was in session at the time, but the House was not.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., conducting a House Intelligence Committee hearing, interrupted a witness to request those attending the meeting to remain in the room and said the doors must be closed.

"It's a little unsettling to get a Blackberry message put in front of you that says there's gunfire in the building," he said.

Jeff Connor, a spokesman for Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., said Capitol Hill police notified the office that gunfure was heard in the Rayburn building garage.

"They specifically said there was the sound of gunfire on one of the garage levels of the Rayburn House office building and asked staff to remain in their offices," Connor said.

While the House was adjourned for the Memorial Day weekend, at least one committee was meeting.

At the same time, Capitol police went room to room in at least parts of the Capitol advising staff to stay in their offices, according one House aide whose office was advised.

and per Drudge:

Quote:

Blackberry message: This is a message from the U.S. Capitol Police
1. If you are in the Rayburn HOB then Shelter in Place. Quickly move into the nearest interior office space or interior hallway and away from windows. The Capitol Police are investigating reports of gunfire in the Rayburn HOB.
2. If nearby, grab Go-Kits and personal belongings.
3. Close doors behind you, but do not lock.
4. Remain calm.
5. Await further instructions. Do not leave the building.

'nother link: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsar...src=rss&rpc=22

Probably a car backfiring... It couldn't be gunfire because guns are illegal in D.C.

mfree · May 27, 2006, 12:21 PM

Turned out to be a pneumatic nail gun at a nearby construction site.

I love how we're led by a group of jumpy cowards, don't you?

**TheBluesMan** · May 27, 2006, 12:56 PM

I can't help but think that the terrorists have won. Our so-called leaders shut down the nation's capitol because of a construction tool! We've got people running around *in terror* at the sound of nail-gun fire.

Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) is the one who reported that he heard gunfire. What a moran.

rhgunguy · May 27, 2006, 01:03 PM

Did they use women and children as human sheilds? Our politicians used to be war heros, now they are draft dodgers. Andrew Jackson wrestled an attempted assasin to the ground. Now the President has to be kept away from pretzels!

Nicotine · May 27, 2006, 01:08 PM

I was kinda hoping it would AT LEAST turn out to be firecrackers or something. I kinda got the feeling watching the whole fiasco that it would turn out to be something stupid like this, but I was still hoping for them to have SOME kind of justification for shutting down and getting all the LE down there.

jimpeel · May 28, 2006, 01:35 PM

Does anyone else find it sooooo refreshing that the people who make our firearms laws do not even know what one sounds like when fired????

Bender711 · May 28, 2006, 02:05 PM

They got scared of a nail gun going off? this must have been a really big nail gun to sound like a real gun, o wait no one up there even knows what a gun sounds like. this is a sad day in America.

blume357 · May 30, 2006, 07:31 AM

and there are some that are butane powered that sound pretty darn close to a small caliber arm. I wonder if the enimies of freedon have figured out that all they have to do is drop a 20 pack of firecrackers off anywhere near one of those buildings every day or two and nothing will ever get done? But then that might show some folks that nothing really gets done anyway.....

Trip20 · May 30, 2006, 08:49 AM

This occurred because of one person's jump-to-conclusion over what he mistakenly assumed was gunfire.

I believe the report of gunfire came from a congressman, didn't it? Should he have been ignored?

I don't think D.C.'s response to this "incident" was out of line.

A report of gunfire came from what they must consider a reliable source. What would some of you do if your spouse came into your home claiming they heard gunfire out front? Probably enact your own plans, though on a much smaller scale, of course.

D.C.'s response only looks excessive because it was a false alarm.

It's ironic that a board where normal discussion, or I should say regular discussion consists of tactical seating in restaurants, zombie attacks, and other such nonsense, has a hard time with our capitol's response to reported gunfire. That cracks me up.

JR47 · May 30, 2006, 09:53 AM

Trip20, I have to agree. Had this Congress-critter's report been poo-pooed, and a real incident have occurred, these same posters would have railed against the governments "business as usual" approach.

Again, if you were sitting in your chair, and heard what was ostensibly gun-fire, would you just turn the page? Heck no, you'd be checking on the welfare of your family, gun in hand, and gathering the little ones away from the windows.

This also doesn't appear to be an incident of a single report, either. Usually, nail guns aren't single-fire uses. There were probably a series of "shots", a pause, and then another series of "shots". Given that there are multiple layers of parking, a muffled series could well have been interpreted as gunfire.

The response is massive in part because of the varying jurisdictions in D.C., and the location of those jurisdictions. You know, the building is under federal control, the streets are under Metro PD control, the various individuals may be under Secret Service protection. Last I knew, you had the US Park Police, the Secret Service Uniform Division, the Secret Service Agent Division, The Executive Protection Service, the Capital Hill Police, the D.C. Metro PD, the GSA police, the Treasury Service police, the FBI, the Armed Forces Police, the US Marines, and God knows who else in an LEO role assigned to various locations, roads, and buildings in D.C.

Mad Martigan · May 30, 2006, 12:11 PM

It was really a Capitol police officer who accidentaly capped one off outside the range with his Gaston special and won't own up to it.

blume357 · June 1, 2006, 05:38 AM

two years ago I was working at a certain federally owned building in D.C. and there were at least 4 different LEO types on duty... everything from white shirted cops with side arms to guys in black jump suits with SMG and surface to air rockets... At the sign of any trouble my move was going to be find a hole and crawl deep in it.

May 27, 2006, 12:21 PM	#2
mfree Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2004 Posts: 506	Turned out to be a pneumatic nail gun at a nearby construction site. I love how we're led by a group of jumpy cowards, don't you? __________________ "If it's rare, strange, or odd, i want it." I drank the cool-aid. Coal Creek Armory

May 27, 2006, 12:56 PM	#3
TheBluesMan Staff Join Date: June 15, 1999 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,566	I can't help but think that the terrorists have won. Our so-called leaders shut down the nation's capitol because of a construction tool! We've got people running around in terror at the sound of nail-gun fire. Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) is the one who reported that he heard gunfire. What a moran. __________________ -Dave Miller ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ! NRA Certified Instructor: Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Home Firearms Safety, Personal Protection. Tick-off Obama - Join the NRA Today - Save $10

May 28, 2006, 01:35 PM	#6
jimpeel Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: Longmont, CO, USA Posts: 3,800	Does anyone else find it sooooo refreshing that the people who make our firearms laws do not even know what one sounds like when fired???? __________________ Gun Control: The premise that a woman found in an alley, raped and strangled with her own pantyhose, is morally superior to allowing that same woman to defend her life with a firearm. "Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house." - Jules Henri Poincare "Three thousand people died on Sept. 11 because eight pilots were killed" -- former Northwest Airlines pilot Stephen Luckey

May 28, 2006, 02:05 PM	#7
Bender711 Senior Member Join Date: September 20, 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 334	They got scared of a nail gun going off? this must have been a really big nail gun to sound like a real gun, o wait no one up there even knows what a gun sounds like. this is a sad day in America. __________________ From a Mod "Seeing as how "butt Smurf" is not profanity in the usual sense and humorously creative, I'll leave this up for now"

May 30, 2006, 07:31 AM	#8
blume357 Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2005 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 3,156	Actually they are pretty loud and there are some that are butane powered that sound pretty darn close to a small caliber arm. I wonder if the enimies of freedon have figured out that all they have to do is drop a 20 pack of firecrackers off anywhere near one of those buildings every day or two and nothing will ever get done? But then that might show some folks that nothing really gets done anyway.....

May 27, 2006, 01:03 PM	#4
rhgunguy Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2006 Posts: 1,058	Did they use women and children as human sheilds? Our politicians used to be war heros, now they are draft dodgers. Andrew Jackson wrestled an attempted assasin to the ground. Now the President has to be kept away from pretzels!

May 27, 2006, 01:08 PM	#5
Nicotine Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2005 Location: Tulsa, OKlahoma Posts: 397	I was kinda hoping it would AT LEAST turn out to be firecrackers or something. I kinda got the feeling watching the whole fiasco that it would turn out to be something stupid like this, but I was still hoping for them to have SOME kind of justification for shutting down and getting all the LE down there.

May 30, 2006, 08:49 AM	#9
Trip20 Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2005 Location: WI Posts: 2,181	This occurred because of one person's jump-to-conclusion over what he mistakenly assumed was gunfire. I believe the report of gunfire came from a congressman, didn't it? Should he have been ignored? I don't think D.C.'s response to this "incident" was out of line. A report of gunfire came from what they must consider a reliable source. What would some of you do if your spouse came into your home claiming they heard gunfire out front? Probably enact your own plans, though on a much smaller scale, of course. D.C.'s response only looks excessive because it was a false alarm. It's ironic that a board where normal discussion, or I should say regular discussion consists of tactical seating in restaurants, zombie attacks, and other such nonsense, has a hard time with our capitol's response to reported gunfire. That cracks me up. __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ Get Involved!

May 30, 2006, 09:53 AM	#10
JR47 Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2005 Location: North Georgia Posts: 2,229	Trip20, I have to agree. Had this Congress-critter's report been poo-pooed, and a real incident have occurred, these same posters would have railed against the governments "business as usual" approach. Again, if you were sitting in your chair, and heard what was ostensibly gun-fire, would you just turn the page? Heck no, you'd be checking on the welfare of your family, gun in hand, and gathering the little ones away from the windows. This also doesn't appear to be an incident of a single report, either. Usually, nail guns aren't single-fire uses. There were probably a series of "shots", a pause, and then another series of "shots". Given that there are multiple layers of parking, a muffled series could well have been interpreted as gunfire. The response is massive in part because of the varying jurisdictions in D.C., and the location of those jurisdictions. You know, the building is under federal control, the streets are under Metro PD control, the various individuals may be under Secret Service protection. Last I knew, you had the US Park Police, the Secret Service Uniform Division, the Secret Service Agent Division, The Executive Protection Service, the Capital Hill Police, the D.C. Metro PD, the GSA police, the Treasury Service police, the FBI, the Armed Forces Police, the US Marines, and God knows who else in an LEO role assigned to various locations, roads, and buildings in D.C.

May 30, 2006, 12:11 PM	#11
Mad Martigan Senior Member Join Date: March 29, 2006 Posts: 432	It was really a Capitol police officer who accidentaly capped one off outside the range with his Gaston special and won't own up to it. __________________ All-Purpose Abrasive Springfield Mil-spec Taurus 92 SS, Taurus 608 SS Marlin 336(.30-30, .35), 1895 .450, Model 60SS

June 1, 2006, 05:38 AM	#12
blume357 Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2005 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 3,156	Jr47 is right two years ago I was working at a certain federally owned building in D.C. and there were at least 4 different LEO types on duty... everything from white shirted cops with side arms to guys in black jump suits with SMG and surface to air rockets... At the sign of any trouble my move was going to be find a hole and crawl deep in it.