Three days before the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the incoming Republican majority in the House of Representatives removed metal detectors outside the chamber floor, Axios reported.
As a result of the attack, magnetometers were installed outside the House chamber in January 2021 by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, drawing opposition from some Republicans who at first pushed their way past Capitol Police without going through the magnetometers.
Pelosi then instituted fines for fines for noncompliance of $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for the second.
The New York Times reported in 2021 that eight Republicans and one Democrat were fined thousands of dollars for their refusal to pass through the magnetometers.
According to Republicans on the House Rules Committee, the new rules package eliminates "Democrat fines for failure of Members to comply with unscientific mask mandates and security screenings before entering the House floor."
"Members should not face unnecessary disruptions as they carry out their constitutional duties," they added.
Despite not yet being voted on, the rules package is part of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy's effort to win over party holdouts in his bid to be speaker, Axios reported.
A spokesperson for Republicans on the House Rules Committee had not given a response to Axios about the removal of the metal detectors on Tuesday afternoon.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., tweeted Tuesday a video of herself in front of one of the metal detectors being removed and put onto an elevator, saying that Republicans were "turning Nancy Pelosi's House back into the people's House."
Boebert, a strong Second Amendment supporter, has sought to have members be allowed to carry guns into the Capitol.
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