On Monday, a man arrived at the state Capitol grounds with a weapon, and told authorities he intended to harm himself. The Highway Patrol, Bismarck Police, and the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office responded, and employees were instructed to shelter in place.
Authorities later allowed employees to leave through designated exits. The situation ended without further incident after law enforcement spoke with the man, secured his weapon, and took him in for help.
Incidents like this are, thankfully, rare. But one thing is clear — if the man wanted to get into the Capitol building, he couldn’t, because of the metal detectors and officers at the entrances. That security protocol was put in place in 2017 as a response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. The Legislature approved adding the metal detectors, although it wasn’t unanimous. Some lawmakers worried that it would be a deterrent to some of their constituents. But after a while, everyone adjusted.
Now, following last year’s killing of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the related shooting and wounding of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman, lawmakers in North Dakota are again reviewing security measures. So far, the Legislative Council has removed lawmakers’ phone numbers and addresses from the public website, and an interim committee is studying additional options. Legislators are proud of North Dakota’s tradition of a “citizen legislature,” and they will try to keep as much of that as possible.
Looking ahead to the primary election
This year’s primary election will be interesting, in part because a certain element within the majority Republican Party is backing challengers against some incumbent GOP officeholders. That’s true in Legislative races, as well as a few statewide offices. Behind the scenes, there are efforts to change the primary election, to take “partisan” politics out of it, meaning those in charge of the GOP want their convention-endorsed candidates to win the nominations.
Meanwhile, Democrats are making an effort to have candidates for as many Legislative seats as possible. The dynamics will be something to watch.
