WASHINGTON -- Metal plates intended 'to stop bullets' have been installed in the backs of House members' chairs in the latest Capitol Hill security measure, House Sergeant-at-Arms Jack Russ said Friday.
The security clampdown began last November after an explosion on the second floor of the Capitol blew a door off its hinges in the office of Senate Democratic leader Robert Byrd and shattered furniture and woodwork outside the nearby Mansfield Room.
The explosion occurred at 11 p.m. and there were no injuries.
Several weeks ago, huge cement barriers were installed around the Capitol to discourage any attempts at ramming a car or truck through. Inside the Capitol, tourists now must walk through metal detectors and can enter only through a limited number of doors.
Senators also have been advised to trade in one of their symbols of power -- easily identifiable congressional license plates.
As for the chairs, 'We just put metal backings in all the seats,' Russ said.
'I think it's self-explanatory -- to stop bullets.'
Russ said that other security measures had been taken but would not go into detail. 'Some are still being worked on,' he said.
The round cement barriers, which also will serve as large flower pots, make it difficult for a vehicle to get onto the Capitol grounds except through designated entrances. Identification cards also are being printed for congressional staff members and reporters, who will be required to wear them at all times.
But leaders of both the House and Senate have said they do not plan more extensive security measures at the Capitol because they do not want to turn it into a fortress.
The most serious terrorist act at the Capitol occurred in 1954, when four supporters of Puerto Rican independence fired into the House chamber, wounding five congressmen.
