Tennesseans will now be allowed to carry guns inside lawmakers' recently remodeled office building, according to a new policy.

In a joint statement, House Speaker Beth Harwell and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally said Wednesday any Tennessean with a valid gun permit will be allowed to bring their weapons inside the Cordell Hull building.

"Permit holders wishing to carry their firearms into Cordell Hull will be required to present their permit at security," McNally and Harwell said.

The duo said a "thorough" screening process will be done to ensure those with weapons have a valid permit.

A spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which will provide security in the building, said visitors will go through a metal detector, as is commonplace in the legislature's current building.

"In order to carry a handgun inside the building a person must provide a valid handgun carry permit and the handgun must be concealed and holstered at all times while they are in the building," said state highway patrol spokesman Lt. Bill Miller.

The Cordell Hull building, which is in the final stages of remodeling, is expected to be open to the public Nov. 15. The building will house offices for lawmakers and legislative committee and hearing rooms.

► More:A look inside the renovated Cordell Hull building

The new policy will not affect another rule that prohibits carrying weapons inside the Capitol, said Connie Ridley, director of Legislative Administration.

She said a security checkpoint will be located at the end of an underground tunnel that connects the Cordell Hull building to the Capitol.

The policy change came after multiple meetings between legislative and executive branch officials, Ridley said.

The decision to allow guns inside the Cordell Hull building was quickly met with criticism by Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, who called it "extremely reckless."

"You have school kids coming down into these hearings," he said. "Things can get very heated. The last thing we need is armed individuals."

Stewart said he is hopeful members of the public will weigh in on the issue and express their concern about the new policy, which he said was based simply on politics.

Last year Stewart bought a semi-automatic rifle off the street and brought it to a committee hearing as part of an unsuccessful call for enhanced background checks.

He pointed to problems that have arisen in other states that allow guns in legislative offices and capitol complexes as a harbinger of what could happen in Tennessee under the new policy.

"There are multiple examples of where there have been weapons dropped and other accidents," said Stewart.

The possibility of allowing Tennesseans to carry guns inside the lawmakers' building was first broached in 2016 when then-Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said he would like to see a change in policy.

Weapons are not allowed in the current home for lawmakers inside Legislative Plaza and the War Memorial Building.

At the time Ramsey discussed the idea, Gov. Bill Haslam balked, saying through a spokeswoman that he thought the idea would lead to complications and that Haslam "feels strongly that guns are not carried in the Capitol."

The idea of allowing guns in the plaza was stalled in favor of waiting until the move to the Cordell Hull building.

Last year legislators passed a law, sponsored by McNally, which specifically said lawmakers have authority to set policies and control any buildings they predominantly occupy. The law was introduced after there was disagreement between Haslam and lawmakers about who had the authority to set the policy on guns inside Legislative Plaza.

On Wednesday, Jennifer Donnals, a spokeswoman for Haslam, stressed that while the General Assembly has control over the operations of the Cordell Hull building, the governor maintains that weapons shall continue to be prohibited in the Capitol.

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.