Secret Service Says Guns Will Not Be Allowed At GOP Convention

The Secret Service announced it would not allow firearms at the Republican National Convention in July, in response to a petition that garnered tens of thousands of signatures, The Hill reported Monday.

“Individuals determined to be carrying firearms will not be allowed past a predetermined outer perimeter checkpoint, regardless of whether they possess a ticket to the event,” Secret Service spokesman Robert Hoback said in a statement to the news outlet.

The agency’s comments come after a petition on Change.org demanding open-carry laws be upheld at the convention garnered more than 45,000 signatures. Ohio is an open-carry state.

“Only authorized law enforcement personnel” may carry firearms while inside the Quicken Loans Arena, Hoback said in the statement.

The agency cited federal law, which allows the banning of weapons where protected people are present, even in open-carry states.

A similar situation transpired when President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at the technology and culture conference SXSW earlier this month in Austin, Texas, where open-carry is also legal.

When Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was asked about the petition, he said he hadn’t “reviewed” it.

“I will say at the convention, the Secret Service is going have the principal decisioning making concerning security,” Cruz said, “so for that you would want to get the recommendations from Secret Service, how to maintain security for everyone there.”

Donald Trump also deflected. He told ABC’s “This Week” that he needs to “study the fine print,” but said he’s “a very, very strong person for (the) Second Amendment.”