Should Federal Prison Officers be Allowed to Carry Concealed Firearms on the Premises? (H.R. 613)

What is H.R. 613?

(Updated April 4, 2019)

This bill would amend the federal criminal code to require the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to allow correctional officers at federal prisons or correctional institutions to 1) store firearms on BOP premises in a secure storage area outside the security perimeter of the institution or in a vehicle lockbox; and 2) carry a concealed firearm on BOP premises outside the institution’s security perimeter.

Argument in favor

Many officers currently carry firearms for protection because there have been cases where they are followed upon leaving the prison or correctional institution and assaulted. Allowing corrections officers to keep firearms safely stored on the premises, and to carry them when they are on their way in and and out from work, will help make them safer.

Argument opposed

Allowing federal corrections officers to carry weapons on or in the vicinity of prisons’ premises may increase the probability that force —deadly or otherwise — will be used. Additionally, confrontations between officers and ex-prisoners or prisoners’ families, while occasional, are generally not frequent.

Impact

Federal prisons; corrections officers; federal prison inmates; and BOP.

Cost of H.R. 613

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would have a negligible cost, as BOP would likely opt to have officers store their firearms in a lockbox within their vehicles. CBO estimates that enacting this bill would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.

Additional Info

In-Depth: This bill was introduced by Rep. David B. McKinley (R-WV) to make it easier for federal prison guards to protect themselves:

“Our prison guards have never failed us when we’ve called them to duty. They risk their lives every day they enter these dangerous prisons to protect our communities from hardened criminals. They’ve stood for us against evil, and I’m honored to have stood for them in Congress.”

This bill has 54 cosponsors including 45 Republicans and nine Democrats. There is a companion bill in the Senate, sponsored by Pat Toomey (R-PA).

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) Press Release
  
• CBO Cost Estimate