After Capitol attack, US struggles to balance security and public access

After an attack outside the US Capitol on Friday in which one officer died, the country’s lawmakers are now looking for a way to balance public access or openness with security and safety.

Lawmakers are trying to balance openness with safety after Friday’s attack within steps of the Capitol, a challenge for Congress, nearly three months after a mob stormed the seat of American democracy, to “make it as secure as it needs to be but as free as we could possibly make it,” as one senator said Sunday. UPDATE: Here is the latest information. pic.twitter.com/GOVaMv8EXk The sprawling complex has been ringed by security fencing and National Guard troops since the deadly Jan. 6 riot, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump breached the Capitol as members of Congress were certifying Joe Biden’s election victory. Friday’s attack, now believed to be an isolated incident by a disturbed man, came just weeks after the outermost layer of fencing was removed and the military’s footprint was reduced at the Capitol. The man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the Capitol, killing one of them before he was shot to death by police.