As the D.C. Council moves forward with new, more permissive handgun legislation, the Capitol Hill staffer arrested on July 18 for carrying a 9mm to the Cannon House Office Building is back to work.  

Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., reinstated Ryan Shucard as his press secretary this week, after the 26-year-old pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition under the terms of a plea agreement with U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ronald C. Machen, Jr.  

D. C. Superior Court Judge Milton C. Lee sentenced Shucard to 30 days in jail on Sept. 17, but suspended the sentence, meaning he would not be locked up. Shucard has been ordered to serve six months unsupervised probation, which means he is not required to report to a probation officer. He was ordered to pay $100 in court costs.  

Marino’s chief of staff, Bill Tighe, indicated the congressman had been monitoring the situation carefully and wanted to let the legal process play out instead of acting with haste. He told CQ Roll Call that Monday was Shucard’s first day back at work.  

Shucard was initially charged with carrying a pistol outside a home or business — a felony under D.C. law that carries up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Though bringing a gun to Capitol grounds remains, in most circumstances, a violation of federal and D.C. code, the District’s ban on carrying handguns in public was thrown into limbo when a federal judge declared it unconstitutional on July 26.  

In the wake of the ruling, Machen proposed the plea agreement. Each charge Shucard pled guilty to carries a maximum penalty of one year of prison and a $1,000 fine.  

The bill being considered by the council would allow D.C. residents and people with state-issued gun carry licenses to apply to D.C. police for permits, while placing strict limitations on where guns could be carried. Virginia, where Shucard lives, does not require residents to register handguns.  

Shucard has said he mistakenly brought the Smith and Wesson gun, plus 9 rounds of hollow point ammunition, in his bag that Friday morning as he headed to work. Following the arrest — which put the campus community on alert — Shucard was immediately placed on unpaid leave. He told CQ Roll Call he loved his job and hoped to return to the Hill .  

According to the Associated Press, Shucard said after the hearing that he was robbed in D.C. earlier this year, which set him on edge, so he took the gun for his protection while house-sitting in Alexandria.  

Related Stories:

Capitol Hill Staffer Ryan Shucard Hopes Gun Charges Are Dismissed


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Ryan Shucard Arrested For Bringing Gun to Cannon House Office Building


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