Louie Gohmert and Andrew Clyde sue House Sergeant at Arms over gun screening rule

Two Republican congressmen have filed a lawsuit against the Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives over a dispute about a rule that requires members to undergo a firearm screening before entering the House chamber.

In a document filed in federal court on Monday, Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA) alleged that they had been targeted with fines because they are members of the minority party.

Sergeant at Arms William Walker and U.S. House Chief Administration officer Catherine Szpindor were named as defendants in the complaint.

Although the complaint acknowledges that both congressmen flouted House rules requiring them to go through a magnetometer, it also says that Democratic members were not fined as often.

The complaint cites text in the 27th Amendment to claim that fines imposed on the men are unconstitutional.

The 27th Amendment states: “No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened."

"Imposing and collecting fines by reducing a member's salary during the term in which H.R. 73 was enacted constitutes a clear violation of the Twenty-Seventh Amendment's prohibition against such salary reductions," the complaint argues.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the Sergeant at Arms from fining lawmakers.

A notation made by a court clerk pointed out that the lawsuit had been filed without a signature. The plaintiffs were given until the close of business on Monday to refile the document.