In case you plan to visit the Texas Capitol anytime soon, you might want to make note of the new prohibited items and other safety measures announced recently by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). These measures are aimed at preventing violent confrontations during protests and demonstrations; maintaining order; and protecting Capitol visitors from injury or infringement of constitutional rights.
Effective immediately, the following items will not be allowed on Capitol grounds:
- Firearms and other deadly weapons, except when authorized under License to Carry authority
- Improvised items used to lock a person to another person or object
- Plastic bottles containing alcohol or non-consumable substances
- Open flame torches
- Metal signs
- Metal, plastic, and wood objects longer than 12 inches
- Sticks or other objects with protruding nails
- Balloons not filled with air, oxygen or helium
- Bricks, stones or rocks
- Projectile launchers, including water cannons
- Spray paint cans
- Gas masks or similar equipment
- Glass bottles
- Hammers
- Crow bars
- Toxic fluid, gas or solids in any container
- Improvised shields
- Helmets
- Drones
- Pepper spray
- Tasers
DPS adds that “Citizens have a right to counter protest, but within the Capitol Complex, they must do so at a distance sufficient to avoid physical altercations.”
By statute, DPS has the authority and primary responsibility for law enforcement and security services over the Texas Capitol Complex.
