With tighter and more restrictive gun laws going into effect, as many as a dozen legislators contacted the State Capitol Police because they were concerned for their safety.
Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford, said he “received several threats,” but he did not want to share the specifics.
Rep. Roberta Willis, D-Salisbury, said she also received several threatening emails, at least one from someone she considered a friend.
One email she received was a picture of a gun, with “two more years” written underneath. She said because her term in office is two years, the email was too nuanced for police to take action.
State Capitol Police Chief Walter Lee and Operations Commander Glen Richards said Thursday that no arrests were made following these concerns raised by “a very small percentage” of legislators.
“We did investigations but nothing rose to the level of a serious threat,” Lee said.
Because of safety concerns, metal detectors were put to use in the entrances to the Legislative Office Building during a recent public hearing on gun-violence legislation, they said. However, Capitol Police decided not to have those detectors present at the entrances of the Capitol Thursday as the gun-control bill was approved by both the state Senate and House of Representatives.