Alia Beard Rau

The Republic | azcentral.com

The same Republican legislative leaders who pushed unsuccessfully to allow more guns on college campuses and in public buildings are now spending nearly $300,000 to keep firearms out of the Arizona House of Representatives.

House Speaker David Gowan, who is essentially out of a job in 12 days, announced Thursday he is installing new security in the building. In a news release, Gowan said the upgrades will include metal detectors at the front entrance, gun lockers and a new security guard station. He did not provide information on the cost in the release.

“While saddened by the need for these measures, the modifications are long overdue in light of the global increase in attacks on public venues. I believe these are reasonable and convenient safety measures that strike a balance between providing for public safety and allowing ‘The People’s House’ to remain accessible to the public,” Gowan said in the news release.

Gowan chose not to seek re-election to the Legislature and ran unsuccessfully for Congress, losing the 1st District GOP primary to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

Voters will elect a new state representative for his Legislative District 14 on Nov. 8, although Gowan will remain in his position until the new lawmakers are sworn in and the session begins Jan. 10.

Gowan did not respond to a request for comment. House Republican spokesman Matthew Modesitt, in response to a public records request from The Arizona Republic, provided some additional details. The cost for the construction work will be $293,355. The documents provided break down some of the costs, but significant portions are redacted, Modesitt said, for security reasons.

Modesitt said the total cost provided covers only this phase of the project. He said additional staffing is part of a future phase, as may be other additional security measures like cameras.

The Senate is also adding new security measures, at a cost of about $70,000. It is not installing metal detectors.

'What's the risk and who are we protecting?'

Currently at the House and the Senate, there are security guards at the front entrance. Members' offices and the floor of the room where lawmakers vote are secured by keycard-access doors and security guards. There are currently no gun lockers at the House, but lockers are available in the adjacent Senate and historic Capitol buildings.

According to the construction contract, which describes the work as a "lobby upgrade" that will include a new custom millwork security guard station, these are some of the costs:

$8,294 to purchase and install two metal detectors.

$2,435 to purchase gun lockers.

$42,748 for doors.

$9,560 for paint and drywall.

$72,033 for turnstiles.

$90,750 for a redacted "specialty" item.

There have been no recent instances of a threatening individual accessing the legislative buildings with a gun. Lawmakers in recent years have been permitted to carry firearms in restricted areas, including onto the floor of the room where they vote.

Gowan in his statement said the decision will "fulfill the request" of 22 Republican House members who sent Gowan a letter earlier this year asking him to fund security upgrades. Rep. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, authored the letter. He said last session that he worked for months with House security to develop a proposal that included metal detectors.

A week after that letter was sent, Gowan asked reporters to authorize extensive checks of any criminal history, their driving records and “other public records.” When reporters declined, most of their credentials, administered by the Department of Administration, stopped opening doors to secure areas of the House.

House leadership later backed off the request and reporters were again admitted to secure areas. Kern has said limiting access to the media was not part of his proposal.

House Minority Leader Eric Meyer, who is running for the state Senate, said Gowan did not speak to him or any of the Democratic House members about his latest plan. He said he has gotten no information on the cost.

Meyer said he believes the metal detectors are unnecessary.

"How many people come with guns? If we have a gun locker in the Senate, how hard is it to lock your gun over there?" he asked. "This seems like the speaker again potentially acting unilaterally, just like replacing cabinets in their offices or putting in the new carpet."

Meyer said Arizona school facilities need money much more than the House needs to make these improvements.

"I'd like to know what the security risks and safety issues are, and if this was the best way to address them," he said. "What's the risk and who are we protecting?"

Meyer said state lawmakers nearly every day of the session go out to the Capitol lawn for free lunches hosted by lobbyists.

"Someone could walk up right there and shoot any of us and a whole bunch of us at once if they wanted to," he said. "If their intent is to harm legislators, it wouldn't take long to figure out a way to do that even with having those metal detectors at the front door."

Senate plans adds 'layer of protection'

Senate Republican chief of staff Wendy Baldo said the decision to improve security in their building was not due to threats, but to catch up with improved technology. She said the improvements will cost about $70,000 and will not require additional staff.

"We had talked to the House probably early on in the summer because they were interested in security upgrades and they were concerned if they did security upgrades, it would make the Senate vulnerable," she said. She met with Senate security and law enforcement to discuss various scenarios and decided to make the improvements, she said.

The Senate has four sets of doors on the side facing the Capitol courtyard where the public typically enters. Baldo said the two sliding glass doors on either end will now be restricted to individuals with keycards, including senators, staff and Capitol media. Security will get new hand-held devices that allow them to automatically open, or lock, the sliding doors. The two center sets of manual doors in the middle will be accessible to the public.

Baldo said the changes will be ADA-compliant and assure ease of access for individuals in wheelchairs.

The floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows facing the Capitol courtyard will have a film applied that prevents glass from flying if it were to shatter — similar to a car windshield. Baldo said the film will cost about $35,000.

"If an IED went off in the mall area, those windows would shatter," Baldo said. "This is the type of film they use in the Pentagon. It's clear. If something happens, you won't have projectiles of glass."

The Senate is also getting three new security cameras providing better views of all four sides of the building and adjacent parking lots. The cameras, added keycard access and handheld door devices will cost another $35,000, Baldo said.

"We want the public to have access to the building with the least amount of struggle, so we are not going to invest in metal detectors," she said. "But we want to add a layer of protection."

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