Introduction of the Department of the Treasury Officer Protection Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I introduce the Department of the Treasury Officer Protection Act of 2022. This bill would help ensure the safety of Treasury Department police officers by allowing them, including those who work at the Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), to carry their government firearms home.

BEP officers were among the first responders when a gunman opened fire at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009. However, BEP officers also can be targets because they wear uniforms to and from work. Many BEP officers carry personal firearms to and from work because they are not allowed to take their government firearms home, and some are forced to leave those personal firearms in their cars while they are on duty, creating a possibly dangerous situation.

Allowing BEP officers to carry their government firearms home will put them in the same position as Mint officers. Although both agencies are under the Treasury Department, under Treasury Department rules, Mint officers are allowed to carry their government firearms home, while BEP officers are not. There is no meaningful distinction between officers for these two agencies. They should be treated equally.

This bill would allow all uniformed officers in the Treasury Department to carry their government firearms home to protect officers and the public and so that the Treasury Department does not have separate rules for different law enforcement agencies under its umbrella.

I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

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