(1) A central tenet of representative democracy 
is that citizens enjoy the right to peaceably assemble 
and petition their government for redress of griev-
ances. 
(2) For this right to be exercised meaningfully, 
elected representatives must be able to make them-
selves accessible to their constituents. 
(3) Fear of gun violence at events where elected 
representatives are performing their official or rep-
resentational duties has a chilling effect on our de-
mocracy in at least 2 ways: 
(A) by discouraging citizens from engaging 
in the public and personal dialogue with their 
representatives that is the lifeblood of vibrant 
democratic politics; and 
(B) by leading elected representatives to 
reduce the frequency and extent of personal 
contact with their constituents as a reasonable 
precaution against unreasonable threats to their 
personal safety. 
(4) During the summer of 2009, there were 
multiple cases of persons carrying firearms outside 
of venues at which the President of the United 
States was holding meetings and official events. In 
one instance, a man carried an AR–15 automatic as-
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sault rifle and a sidearm. In another instance, occur-
ring hours before a presidential town hall a week 
earlier, a man was arrested for breaching a security 
perimeter at the location of the event, and was 
found to be in possession of an unlicensed and load-
ed handgun. 
(5) In recent months, there has been a three-
fold increase in the number of reported threats 
against Members of the United States House of 
Representatives and Members of the United States 
Senate. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON KNOWINGLY POSSESSING A FIRE-
ARM NEAR A VENUE AT WHICH A MEMBER OF 
CONGRESS IS PERFORMING AN OFFICIAL 
AND REPRESENTATIONAL DUTY OR CAM-
PAIGNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—Section 922 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(aa)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall 
be unlawful for any person, in or affecting interstate or 
foreign commerce, to knowingly carry a firearm— 
‘‘(A) in, or within 250 feet of an entrance to or 
exit from, a building or structure where the person 
knows that a Member of Congress is— 
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‘‘(i) performing an official and representa-
tional duty of the Member; 
‘‘(ii) engaging in campaign activity as a 
candidate for election for Federal office for pur-
poses of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971; or 
‘‘(iii) engaging in campaign activity as a 
candidate for election for State or local office, 
as determined pursuant to State law; or 
‘‘(B) at, or within 500 feet of, any other place 
where the person knows that a Member of Congress 
is performing such a duty or engaging in such a 
campaign activity, 
if there is visible, at each place that is at the applicable 
distance specified in this sentence from the building, struc-
ture, or other place, a sign which clearly and conspicuously 
states that a Member of Congress will be present at the 
building, structure, or other place, and so states the time 
interval during which the Member of Congress is sched-
uled to be so present. 
‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the carrying 
of a firearm— 
‘‘(A) by a law enforcement officer (whether on- 
or off-duty) who is authorized to carry a firearm in 
the line of duty; or 
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‘‘(B) pursuant to the express written permis-
sion of— 
‘‘(i) any Member of Congress present at 
the location involved, which permission has been 
filed with the chief of police of the locality in-
volved; or 
‘‘(ii) the chief of police of the locality in-
volved; 
‘‘(C) on real property owned or rented by the 
carrier of the firearm; 
‘‘(D) on the premises of a business in which the 
carrier of the firearm is employed and authorized by 
the employer to carry the firearm; or 
‘‘(E) which is in a locked container or otherwise 
not readily accessible for use. 
‘‘(3) If Federal investigative or prosecutive jurisdic-
tion is asserted for a violation of this subsection, such as-
sertion shall suspend the exercise of jurisdiction by a State 
or local authority, under any applicable State or local law, 
until Federal action is terminated. 
‘‘(4) Violations of this subsection shall be investigated 
by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistance may 
be requested from any Federal, State, or local agency, in-
cluding the Army, Navy, and Air Force, any statute, rule, 
or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding.’’. 
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(b) PENALTIES.—Section 924(a) of such title is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) Whoever knowingly violates section 922(aa) 
shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 
10 years, or both.’’. 
SEC. 4. ENCOURAGING STATES TO ADOPT FIREARMS PRO-
HIBITIONS SIMILAR TO FEDERAL LAW TO 
PROTECT STATE AND LOCAL ELECTED AND 
APPOINTED OFFICIALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year after the ex-
piration of the period specified in subsection (b)(1) in 
which a State receives funds for the Edward Byrne Memo-
rial Justice Assistance Grant Program under subpart 1 
of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.), the 
State shall have in effect throughout the State laws and 
policies that prohibit any person to knowingly possess a 
firearm near a venue at which an elected or appointed 
State or local official is performing an official and rep-
resentational duty or campaigning for public office if such 
possession would constitute an offense under subsection 
(aa) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, if such 
official were a Member of Congress. 
(b) COMPLIANCE AND INELIGIBILITY.— 
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