Intern arrested for allegedly bringing gun to House office building

Capitol police arrested an intern for Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins, a top member of the Republican conference, on Monday morning for allegedly bringing an unloaded handgun into the Longworth House Office Building.

Police said they found the weapon, an unloaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun, during the routine search that all visitors undergo at the entrance of the office building.

{mosads}The authorities arrested Joshua Wheeler, a 25-year-old Kansas man working as a paid intern in Jenkins’s office, on charges of carrying the gun without a license and for possessing an unregistered firearm.

“Mr. Wheeler used poor judgment and was immediately placed on temporary leave,” Tom Brandt, a Jenkins spokesman, told The Hill.

“It’s our understanding that this was an accident and we are in full cooperation with Capitol Police.”

He added that Wheeler had been working for the congresswoman since May 18.

The arrest happened at the New Jersey Avenue and C Street entrance of the office building, which is home base for many lawmakers. Police alerts showed that the entrance had been closed off from about 9 until 9:10 a.m. as many congressional staffers and lawmakers filed in after the Memorial day recess.