EXCLUSIVE: In wake of left-wing political violence, Sen. Tom Cotton wants judges and prosecutors to carry concealed firearms

Sens. Tom Cotton and Marsha Blackburn are rolling out legislation, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, to allow prosecutors and judges to protect themselves.

Amidst a surge of left-wing political violence, Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) is introducing legislation, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, to allow federal judges and prosecutors to carry concealed firearms.

Cotton’s legislation, which he is introducing with Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.), is called the Protecting Our Prosecutors and Judges Act. If passed, it would expand the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which allows both current and retired law enforcement officers to conceal carry firearms, to include current and retired state, local, and federal prosecutors, as well as federal judges.

The legislation is particularly timely, given a judge’s paradoxical decision to sentence the man who attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh only 8 years in jail — decades less than what the prosecutors sought.

“Judges and prosecutors have been the target of growing threats and violence simply for doing their jobs,” Cotton said. “They should be able to protect their own lives and their families. Our bill will allow federal judges and prosecutors to defend themselves in a similar way to other law enforcement officers.”

Blackburn added that “now more than ever, judges and prosecutors are facing threats of violence for upholding the rule of law. The Protecting Our Prosecutors and Judges Act would ensure prosecutors and federal judges can defend their lives and families. I am proud to cosponsor this bill again.”