Virginia man with gun, more than 500 bullets tried to get into inauguration with unauthorized credential
Extensive road closures are seen on a street near the White House in Washington, DC on January 13, 2021, as the city makes preparations for the lead up to US President-elect Joe Biden's January 20, 2021 inauguration. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Pho
WASHINGTON - A Virginia man faces a gun charge in D.C. after being stopped at an inauguration security checkpoint with unauthorized credentials, a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition.
U.S. Capitol Police say they stopped 31-year-old Wesley Allen Beeler of Front Royal around 6:30 p.m. Friday near North Capitol and E streets NE.
Police say in court documents that Beeler pulled up to the checkpoint in his white Ford F-150 truck and showed an inauguration credential.
Officers asked Beeler to pull his truck away from the checkpoint for further investigation. They looked up his credential and found it was not authorized to enter the area.
They then found his truck had multiple firearm-related decals, including one saying "Assault Life" and another saying "If They Come For Your Guns, Give 'Em Your Bullets First."
Once asked, Beeler told police he had a Glock handgun under his center armrest.
Police found the handgun, which was loaded with 16 bullets. Then they found an additional 509 bullets and a bandolier with 21 shotgun shells in Beeler's truck.
The gun was not registered in the District of Columbia. Officers arrested Beeler and he now faces a charge of carrying a pistol without a license.
Beeler's arrest comes during heightened security tensions following the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot and Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.
Officials on Saturday boosted the number of national guardsmen deployed to the Capitol by 25% to 25,000.
That's more than triple of the number of U.S. troops currently in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
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