Three Republican senators introduced a bill Wednesday that would let retired local, state and federal judges and prosecutors carry concealed firearms, according to a press release.
Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia brought forward the Protect Our Prosecutors and Judges Act, a bill that would amend the Enforcement Officers Safety Act.
The Enforcement Officers Safety Act currently gives active and retired law-enforcement officers the right to carry concealed firearms, no matter the prohibitions of state and local laws.
Their legislation would extend this right to judges and prosecutors.
“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,” he continued. “Our bill will allow federal judges and prosecutors to defend themselves in a similar way to other law enforcement officers.”
Judges and prosecutors have rarely been the target of criminals who want revenge, but the U.S. Marshals Service warns that threats against legal officers is on the rise.
The Marshals Service said it received nearly 4,500 “threats and inappropriate communications.”
Blackburn echoed the concern in the the Senate press release.
“Cities across the country have seen a spike in crime in the wake of weeks-long protests, making the thin blue line appear even thinner than usual,” Blackburn said.
“I am pleased to join my colleagues in this crucial effort to ensure members of law enforcement are able to protect themselves in case of emergency,” she said.
A prominent case arose recently when the son of federal judge Esther Salas was killed after answering a doorbell at the family home in New Jersey.
Salas, who had been appointed four days prior to oversee the case surrounding Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, was in the basement at the time. Her husband also was critically injured in the July 19 shooting.
In the past 100 years, 14 prosecutors have been murdered in the United States, CBS News reported.
