IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 50 
Providing for enclosing the visitors’ galleries of the House of Representatives 
with a clear and bomb-proof material. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 24, 2011 
Mr. BURTON of Indiana submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on House Administration 
RESOLUTION 
Providing for enclosing the visitors’ galleries of the House 
of Representatives with a clear and bomb-proof material. 
Resolved, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) In 2007, outgoing Senate Sergeant-at-Arms 
Bill Pickle warned about the potential of a terrorist 
attack on the United States Capitol. Specifically, 
Mr. Pickle warned that: ‘‘Nothing has changed since 
9/11. The Capitol is the symbol of America all over 
the world, and it’s clearly the No. 1 or No. 2 target 
of terrorists, as it was on 9/11’’. 
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(2) The first bombing of the Capitol occurred 
in the Senate in 1915 by a man protesting United 
States involvement in World War I. 
(3) On March 1, 1954, 4 Puerto Rican nation-
alists armed with .38 caliber revolvers entered the 
visitors’ gallery of the House of Representatives and 
fired a total of 19 shots at Members and staff while 
the House was in session and conducting a vote, and 
5 Members were struck by the gunfire. 
(4) In 1971, a group named the Weather Un-
derground planted an explosive device in a first-floor 
restroom in the Senate to protest United States mili-
tary involvement in the Vietnam War. The device 
detonated early in the morning when the building 
was closed, causing extensive damages but no inju-
ries. 
(5) In 1983, a man carrying an improvised ex-
plosive device strapped to his body entered the visi-
tors’ gallery of the House of Representatives while 
the House was in session. He was able to construct 
the device in such a manner as to avoid detection 
during security screening. During a floor debate, the 
man attempted to detonate the device until United 
States Capitol Police officers restrained him, re-
moved him from the gallery, and secured the device. 
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(6) Also in 1983, a group named the Armed 
Resistance Unit planted an explosive device on the 
second floor of the Senate, outside the Senate 
Chamber, to protest United States military involve-
ment in Central America. The device detonated at 
11:00 p.m. causing extensive damage to the area 
around the Chamber. At the time, the Senate had 
already recessed and no one was in the area when 
the blast occurred. 
(7) On July 24, 1998, a lone gunman entered 
the Document Door of the Capitol and immediately 
shot and killed the officer posted at location. The 
gunman then exchanged gunfire with another officer 
before fleeing further into the building where he en-
gaged in another gunfight in which a second officer 
was killed. The gunman was shot several times dur-
ing this incident. 
(8) On the terrible and fateful morning of Sep-
tember 11, 2001, the people of the United States be-
came painfully aware of the destructive intent of ter-
rorists as well as the increasingly sophisticated and 
devastating methods by which they conduct their 
deadly work. Evidence strongly suggests Members of 
Congress were and continue to remain a terrorist 
target. 
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