The terror attack at the US Capitol — and a number of right-wing rallies at state capitols which preceded it — point to the need “to change some rules,” according to the retired Army officer in charge of the investigation of the deadly January 6 insurrection.

In particular, Lt Gen Russel Honore cited the carrying of large weapons, such as long guns, at various demonstrations. Far-right militia types, for instance, brought long guns en masse, to demonstrations at the Michigan state capitol in the weeks and months leading up to a plot going public for the kidnapping of Gov Gretchen Whitmer (D).

That plot was foiled and arrests were made.

Those events were something of a precursor to the violent siege of the Capitol which broke out earlier this month in which violent insurrectionists acting as backers of outgoing President Donald Trump apparently attempted to kidnap and kill members of Congress as part of a plan to overturn the results of the November presidential election.

“And they’ve got to change some rules. Some rules have got to change is, we can’t have demonstrators showing up at a state capitol with damn long guns. Your First Amendment right don’t give you the right to carry long guns to a demonstration,” said Honore, who was named to lead the Capitol security investigation by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “And that is confusing the hell out of police and intimidating people. Remember, one of the objectives of a terrorist is to intimidate, if not to cause violent harm.

“And that has to be fixed, and that’s in the Congress and the [Justice Department] and the White House. They’ve got to figure that out and work with the American people. Because we can’t have it all. You can’t have freedom to carry a long gun in a courthouse and at the same time go outside and protest,” added Honore, previously known for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina. “That is unacceptable, and that’s something the American people will have to come up with.”

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