No guns will be allowed into the Republican National Convention, the US Secret Service says, refusing to bow to pressure after nearly 50,000 people signed a petition urging a no-firearms policy be overturned.
Firearms will not be allowed inside the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where the event -- which could descend into a heated battle for the party presidential ticket -- is taking place in July.
A petition calling for guns to be allowed into the venue -- saying it would save lives in the event of an attack -- has attracted more than 47,900 signatures in just a few days at the Change.org website.
But Robert Hoback, Secret Service spokesman, said in a statement that the only armed people at the convention will be his agents.
"Only authorized law enforcement personnel working in conjunction with the Secret Service for a particular event may carry a firearm inside of the protected site," he said in a statement.
"The Secret Service works closely with our local law enforcement partners in each state to ensure a safe environment for our protectees and the public.
"Individuals determined to be carrying firearms will not be allowed past a predetermined outer perimeter checkpoint, regardless of whether they possess a ticket to the event."
Firearms were banned by the Secret Service at the Republican convention in Tampa in 2012, US media say.
No guns will be allowed into the Republican National Convention, the US Secret Service says, refusing to bow to pressure after nearly 50,000 people signed a petition urging a no-firearms policy be overturned.
Firearms will not be allowed inside the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where the event — which could descend into a heated battle for the party presidential ticket — is taking place in July.
A petition calling for guns to be allowed into the venue — saying it would save lives in the event of an attack — has attracted more than 47,900 signatures in just a few days at the Change.org website.
But Robert Hoback, Secret Service spokesman, said in a statement that the only armed people at the convention will be his agents.
“Only authorized law enforcement personnel working in conjunction with the Secret Service for a particular event may carry a firearm inside of the protected site,” he said in a statement.
“The Secret Service works closely with our local law enforcement partners in each state to ensure a safe environment for our protectees and the public.
“Individuals determined to be carrying firearms will not be allowed past a predetermined outer perimeter checkpoint, regardless of whether they possess a ticket to the event.”
Firearms were banned by the Secret Service at the Republican convention in Tampa in 2012, US media say.
