Democratic Sen. Cory Booker has for years been a leading advocate for gun control. Now, one of his senior staffers was arrested this week for carrying a firearm on the Capitol grounds.

The staffer working for the New Jersey senator, Kevin A. Batts, was reportedly arrested on Monday evening for carrying a firearm and failing to go through security, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement.

“Yesterday afternoon, a Member of Congress led an IDed staff member around security screening at the Hart Senate Office Building,” Capitol Police said in a statement on Tuesday. “Later that evening, outside the Senate Galleries, the IDed staff member – who is a retired law enforcement officer – told our officers he was armed.” It is unclear if Booker was the member who waved Batts around security.

The staff member was not licensed to carry his firearm on the grounds. Police said: “All weapons are prohibited from Capitol Grounds, even if you are a retired law enforcement officer, or have a permit to carry in another state or the District of Columbia.”

The arrest took place around the same time Senator Booker began a marathon speech on the Senate floor, which continued overnight. The Capitol Police declined to provide any further information about the incident beyond its statement about the incident.

Batts serves as a special assistant to Booker, according to a profile on the Legistorm platform. In a video Booker posted to his public Facebook page, the senator describes an individual he calls Kevin Batts as “my friend.”

Meanwhile, Booker, also a 2016 presidential candidate, has been a leading advocate of gun control during his tenure in the upper chamber. He has repeatedly filed the Federal Firearm Licensing Act, which would require a federal license before an individual could purchase or receive a firearm, according to a press release from Booker’s office.

“The epidemic of gun violence and mass shootings continues to claim the lives of thousands of innocent Americans every year,” Booker said in 2023. “If you need a license to drive a car, you should need a license to own and use a gun.”

The legislation would centralize federal background checks and licensing in the Department of Justice, requiring the Attorney General to conduct a history check on any individual purchasing a firearm in the United States. It would also require the individual to renew the license every five years. The bill would also direct the FBI to conduct periodic checks to ensure individuals are in compliance with the legislation.

Booker also praised former President Joe Biden’s September 2024 executive order directing all federal agencies to combat “emerging firearms threats,” and addressing school shootings.

Booker’s office did not return a request for comment from Just the News.

The arrest follows at least two prior firearm-related incidents in recent months involving congressional staff members. 

The most recent episode was on March 4, the day President Trump gave a speech to a joint session of Congress. A GOP staffer was arrested at a House office building entrance after officers found a loaded handgun in his bag, according to Capitol Police.

In December, another congressional staffer was arrested at a House office building for attempting to bring several rounds of ammunition through a secure entrance. The staffer, identified as Michael Hopkins, told law enforcement that he forgot the magazines were in his bag.

Hopkins served as the communications director for Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., and is facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition and a high-capacity magazine. He was subsequently terminated from his position.

The Capitol Police have faced scrutiny recently after congressional investigators discovered major security failures during and related to the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol Building, showing that the police force dedicated to protecting members of Congress and the legislative building sometimes struggled to do so.

For example, Just the News previously reported on several incidents during the riot including officers abandoning a bag full of plastic handcuffs, which were subsequently used by protesters, leaving a Capitol Building door unlocked for protesters to enter, and a failure to adequately address intelligence warnings in the lead-up to the riot.