WASHINGTON (AFP) -
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.
© 2016 AFP
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