Legislation to protect prison officers being considered in U.S Senate

By Andrew Shepperson

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has reintroduced a bill aimed to protect prison officers. (Photo: Politics PA)
Legislation that would allow prison officers to carry concealed firearms to and from work is being considered in the U.S. Senate.
The measure — H.R. 613, also known as the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act — was reintroduced by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey and would require the Bureau of Prisons to provide a lock box in which prison officers can store firearms so that they may carry to and from work, the Daily Item reported.
The bill has passed through the House of Representatives and is currently being considered in the Senate.
The legislation was named after Puerto Rican Corrections Officer Osvaldo Albarati, who was shot and killed while driving in 2013. The shooter had been hired by three prison inmates. Because of the Bureau of Prisons’ policy, Albarati did not have a weapon on him to defend himself.
“Correctional officers are often targets of criminals when off-duty,” Toomey said in a statement regarding the bill. “Ex-convicts, fellow gang members of prisoners, and prisoners’ families and friends will target federal correctional officers.”
“The Justice Department, however, has implemented policy that essentially makes it impossible for federal correctional officers to protect themselves

Source: Guns.com