A spokesperson for the state of Wisconsin said on Thursday that a man who illegally brought a handgun into the Wisconsin Capitol on Wednesday, with demands to see Gov. Tony Evers, later returned that night with an assault rifle after posting bail.
State Department of Administration spokesperson Tatyana Warrick said that the man approached the governor’s office on the first floor of the Capitol around 2 p.m. Wednesday, shirtless and carrying a holstered handgun. The man was demanding to see the governor, who was not in the building at the time. Warrick said that the man was taken into custody for openly carrying a firearm in the Capitol, which is against the law; weapons can be brought into the Capitol if they are concealed and the person has a valid permit. The man arrested did not have a concealed carry permit.
While the man was booked into the Dane Count Jail and posted bail, he later returned to the outside of the Capitol shortly before 9 p.m. with an assault-style rifle and demanded to see the governor (the building closes to the public at 6 p.m.). Madison police reported Thursday that the man was again taken into productive custody and brought to the hospital.
Warrick said no immediate changes to security in the Capitol or for the governor were planned. The public has free access to the Capitol daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are no metal detectors.
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