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U.s. capitol & capitol visitor center, the capitol visitor center is the main entrance to the u.s. capitol and is located below the east front plaza of the capitol between constitution and independence avenues.

The Capitol Visitor Center is the main entrance to the U.S. Capitol and is located below the East Front plaza of the Capitol between Constitution and Independence Avenues. The Visitor Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.mm., Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Inauguration Day. Guided tours of the Capitol are available Monday through Saturday, 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Tours are free, but tour passes are required. Tours may be booked in advance online at www.visitthecapitol.gov , through the offices of your senators or representative, or through the Office of Visitor Services at 202.226.8000. A limited number of same-day passes are available each day. The Capitol Visitor Center also features a 500-seat Restaurant, two Gift Shops, and an Exhibition Hall which tells the story of the U.S. Congress and the Capitol. For a list of items prohibited in the Capitol, and for other information, go to www.visitthecapitol.gov .

• ADA Compliant
• Foreign Language Guides
• Free Admission
• Guided tours available

Additional Information

Length of tour.

Less than 1 hour

Metro Station

Capitol South

E Capitol St. & 1st St. NE Washington , DC 20004 United States

(202) 226-8000.

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Getting to the Capitol

Walking to the capitol.

The United States Capitol is bordered by Constitution Avenue to the north and Independence Avenue to the south. It is located at the far eastern end of the  National Mall  beyond the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The Capitol Visitor Center, the main entrance to the U.S. Capitol, is located beneath the East Front plaza of the U.S. Capitol at First Street and East Capitol Street. 

The Capitol Grounds are open to visitors.

• U.S. Capitol Map
• Click here to download the U.S. Capitol map in PDF format

Visitor Services Shuttle to Capitol Visitor Center Entrance

For your convenience, the Capitol Visitor Center provides an on-demand shuttle for those with mobility issues or in manual wheelchairs.  The shuttles run from the southwest corner of Capitol Square at Independence Ave. and First Street, SW, to the Capitol Visitor Center entrance at the center of the Capitol’s East Plaza.  Please ask the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services at 202.224.4048, Capitol Visitor Center staff in red shirts or vests, or at either of the kiosks located at the southwest corner of Capitol Square or on the east side of the Capitol near the corner of First St. NE/SE and East Capitol Street.  Please provide as much advance notice as possible to help facilitate your request.

If you are traveling with a large group requesting mobility assistance, we strongly recommend that you contact the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services at 202.224.4048 prior to your visit.  Please provide as much advance notice as possible to help facilitate your request.

Getting to the Capitol by Bicycle

Bicycle racks are located near the entrance to the Capitol Visitor Center along First Street SE and First Street NE. These racks are in addition to numerous bike racks provided on the West Front of the Capitol, between the Russell and Dirksen Senate Office Buildings, and by each of the House Office Buildings.

The District Department of Transportation’s bike sharing program, Capital Bikeshare , allows you to take a bicycle from more than 350 stations across the Washington, DC, metro region and return it to any station near your destination. 

Getting to the Capitol by Subway

There are three subway stops found within walking distance of the Capitol:

• Union Station – Located at First Street, NW, and Massachusetts Avenue.
• Capitol South – Located at First Street between C and D Streets, SE.
• Federal Center, SW – Located at the southwest corner of Third and D Streets, SW.

Additional information on riding the subway, which is called the Metro, is available at the  Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority homepage www.wmata.com .

Two DC Circulator routes, ( Union Station – Navy Yard Route  and  National Mall Route ) include stops near the U.S. Capitol. The Circulator is another kind of public bus, and you will find more information about this option at  www.dccirculator.com .

Getting to the Capitol by Car

Please keep in mind that there is very little public parking available near the Capitol. The nearest public parking facility is at Union Station, to the north of the Capitol.

Metered street parking is found along the Mall to the west of the Capitol.

Tour Bus Route and Commercial Bus Restrictions on U.S. Capitol Grounds

Click here to view the tour bus route (Updated 11/07)

The following security measures will be implemented as part of continued efforts by the U.S. Capitol Police to enhance security within the Capitol complex. These measures are precautionary, and are not predicated on any known threats.

Effective Saturday, June 9, 2007, all commercial buses will be prohibited from accessing the following areas on U.S. Capitol Grounds. This policy does not affect public transit buses, or sight seeing trolleys:

• Independence Ave., between Washington Ave., SW and 2nd Street, SE
• Constitution Ave., between Louisiana Ave., NW and 2nd Street, NE
• 1st Street between D Street, NE and D Street, SE
• 1st Street between Maryland Ave., and Independence Ave., SW
• 2nd Street between D Street, NE and D Street, SE

Tour bus operators must adhere to the following vehicle regulations:

Tour buses may ENTER U.S. Capitol Grounds at:

• 3rd and Maryland Ave., SW
• 3rd and Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Tour buses may EXIT U.S. Capitol Grounds at:

• 1st and Louisiana Ave., NW

LOADING and UNLOADING of passengers MUST occur at the east curb of:

• 1st and Maryland Ave., SW (east curb of Garfield Circle)
• 1st St., SW/NW between Pennsylvania and Maryland Avenues
• 1st and Pennsylvania Ave., NW (east curb of Peace Circle)

Traversing Constitution Avenue, Independence Avenue or First Street and Second Street, NE/SE in front of the U.S. Capitol is prohibited. Tour bus standing, idling or parking is not permitted. Vehicular Security Checkpoints may be activated at any time without notice. Please follow police directions, posted street signs, and/or illuminated message boards to facilitate your visit to the U.S. Capitol.

Additional recorded information can be obtained by calling the U.S. Capitol Police Bulletin Board at 1.877.872.7111, or by emailing  [email protected] .

If there are any questions about these events or security procedures, you may contact the United States Capitol Police Public Information Office at 202.224.1677.

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Reserve Your Spot with Confidence! Full Refunds with 24 Hrs Notice. Reschedule at any point, even after tour, if space allows!

How to Get US Capitol Building Tour Tickets

This post is about how to get tickets to tour the United States Capitol Building.

We also include tips on how to get gallery passes to watch the Senate and the House of Representatives in action as well as tour highlights.

• How to Reserve Tour Tickets
• Plan Your Visit
• Tour Highlights
• Senate + House Gallery Passes

Tips From Locals and Travelers

Our sister company, VISITDCTours offers a tour that has reserved tickets to tour the Library of Congress and the US Capitol for you.

This semi-private small group tour is limited to ~12 people and does have a ticketed cost.

You will see the Supreme Court and enter the Library of Congress and the US Capitol. Your guide will tour the Library of Congress with you and give you tickets to the US Capitol tour after our tour.

Allow an additional 50 minutes after the tour for the Capitol tour.

You can book this tour with our sister company, VisitDC Tours!

Is the US Capitol Building Open to the Public?

Yes and no.

While you can schedule a free tour of the United States Capitol, it is not accessible to the public for any other purpose.

You must pass through security to enter the building; unless you have a tour scheduled, they won't let you through.

You do not need a reservation to enter the Capitol Visitor Center - where you can find the cafeteria, gift shops, museums, and part of the National Statuary Collection.

UNITED STATES CAPITOL TOUR TICKETS 

Taking a tour of the Capitol Building requires a ticket, which is free, but reservations are the only way to guarantee a spot (well, there's our tour as well ).  

We recommend booking up to 3 months in advance if you plan to visit during the peak Spring/Summer touring months.  

Tours run Monday-Saturday every 10 minutes from 8:30 am - 3:20 pm, but this schedule can be changed for any of a number of reasons.

The Capitol (as well as the Library of Congress and Supreme Court) is closed on Sundays.

Tours can last between 50-80 minutes and the tour route can be changed without notice due to activities inside the Capitol.

There are no self-guided tours of the US Capitol Building.

There are 4 options to get tickets:

(Option 1) - Take a tour with a Capitol Visitor Center docent.  

These tours are staffed by professional docents, who have extensive knowledge of the building. 

Guests are organized into groups of 20 and listen to their guide through headsets. 

The docents are very knowledgeable, and the tour includes a short video of the building's significance and history before heading into the publicly accessible areas.

(Our favorite option) - Join us on our Capitol Hill & Library of Congress Tour.

This is our walking tour of the Capitol Building campus with a photo stop at the Supreme Court , visits to the interior Library of Congress, and ends with timed tickets for a tour with a docent of the Capitol Visitor Center we discussed above.

(Option 2) - Book your US Capitol experience through the offices of your representative or senators.  

This option offers tours that are staffed by office personnel, usually interns.

The advantage here is that the groups are usually smaller, sometimes just your family.

Also, your guide is likely to be from your area or state, and it's always interesting to hear about their life on "the Hill".  

This option may give you the chance to meet your representative or senator.  

One potential drawback is that your guide may be pretty fresh and not as knowledgeable as the docents. We think this option is worth a try.  Book here .

(Option 3) - Walk up.

If you want to try to get onto a tour without advanced reservations, there are walk-up options.

We do not recommend doing this during March and April, as well as the peak summer months. All other times are likely to be OK.  

The advantage here is that you have more flexibility when you decide to take the tour.  

Walk-up tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and are given out only for the next tour time slot, so you won't be able to grab tickets for later in the day.

Capitol Visitor Center Hours:

One way to visit the U.S. Capitol Building without a tour is to stop in at The Capitol Visitor Center.

This center is open Monday – Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

There are occasions when the building is closed for special events or security reasons! These sometimes happen on short notice.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

In this section, we cover what to expect during your visit with tips on how much time you will need (below), how to get to the visitor center , parking, security , and dining options .

Depending on what you want to see, expect to spend at least 90 minutes to get through security and complete the tour and an additional 30 - 60 minutes to visit one of the voting chambers. 

Add an additional 30 - 60 minutes if you want to spend some time in Emancipation Hall (see highlights ).

The Capitol Building is adjacent to both the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress , and many visitors choose to visit all three at the same time. We recommend this as well.

But plan 3 - 5 hours in total to do so. You can easily spend 60 - 90 minutes at the Library and another 60 minutes at the Supreme Court.  

How to Get to the Capitol Visitor Center

The Capitol Visitor Center entrance is on the east side of the Capitol, which is the side opposite the National Mall. Click here for directions to the visitor center .

There are two Metro stations that are close to the Capitol, Union Station Metro, which is serviced by the red line as well as the Capitol South Metro, which services the orange, blue and silver lines.

If you are new to the DC Metro, then read our how-to guide to DC's subway .

All the major hop-on, hop-off, and shuttle tour bus companies make stops at the U.S. Capitol Building.  

Due to security restrictions, all tour buses must drop passengers off on the West Front (National Mall side) of the building.

Visitors then must walk up Capitol Hill for 8-10 minutes to reach the visitor center.  

There are motorized golf carts to take those who need assistance to get up the hill. Use this map for directions from the West Front drop-off .  

Be sure to read our post on choosing the best bus tour in DC .

There is no parking around the Capitol Building. In fact, unless you're in a taxi or your personal car - you won't be able to drive up there at all.

Coaches and large vans are not allowed near the entrance and must drop off and pick up guests on the west (National Mall) side of the building.  

You can find 2-hour on-street parking in the residential area around East Capitol and 2nd St NE/SE, but you, more likely than not, will spend some time finding parking.

A more reasonable option is to park at Union Station.

However, if you plan to visit Smithsonian Museums as well, then there are some parking garages south of the Capitol, in the Federal Center SW area. 

SpotHero  is a popular service in DC that makes finding parking a whole lot easier.

They allow you to view which parking garages will be accessible and book a guaranteed space near where you’re headed. Pretty simple.

Security Check

Security at the Capitol Building is pretty tight and similar to airport security (though you won't have to take off your shoes).

You will need to go through a metal detector and there are many items that are not allowed into the building:

• Any food or beverage, including water, and anything bottled or unopened. (empty water bottled are allowed)
• Any pointed object, including knitting needles.
• Bag larger than 18 inches wide and 8.5 inches deep.
• Mace or pepper spray, razors, and box cutters.
• Any weapon of any kind, even army knives as well as replicas/toys.
• Any liquids, gels, sprays, aerosols - like lotions, makeup, sunscreen.

You may bring in mobile phones, wallets, and cameras.

While strollers are permitted in the Capitol Visitor Center, they are not in the House or Senate galleries.

These are subject to additional screening at the entrance as well.

While you may not run into any congresspeople in the Visitor Center Restaurant, you may overhear some lobbyists, and it is a surprisingly good place to grab a bite to eat if you arrive early for your tour (or after).

It’s located on the lower level of Emancipation Hall, just to the side of the ticket desks.

They have a broad range of meals and snacks ranging from pizza to roast turkey to sushi.

We’re particularly fans of their breakfast sandwiches if you’re visiting in the morning, and the giant cookies are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

Here’s a link to the menu .  They have received 4 of 5 stars on TripAdvisor.

While we do our best to provide all the information you'll need to visit the US Capitol, sometimes you require answers to specific questions related to your personal experience.

Thankfully, our Washington DC Travel Tips group on Facebook is the perfect place to look for any answers you may need.

Here are a few examples of interesting and helpful tips and tricks provided by members of our group:

This is probably the most common question about visiting the US Capitol Building, which is why we answer it at the top of this article.

As Jennifer notes, even if you just wanted to see the gift shop and visitor center, you'd need to pass through security (though as of 2024, you no longer require reservations just to enter the Visitor Center)

One nice thing about the US Capitol Building tour is that it's reasonably paced, so you should have enough time either before or after for other activities.

The only real place to eat lunch in the area is the Capitol Building itself, but they actually have a lot of great menu options, so it's not necessarily a bad option!

Many group members recommend getting a tour through your state representative because they will send down an intern and give you a less rushed experience. Despite some guest's experiences, you only sometimes get a private tour. In peak seasons, March-August, you'll often be with a large group.

That said, public tours are led by official docents, so you can trust that they will also provide an excellent service.

Diana notes that anyone who has booked a tour should show up at least a little bit early to ensure they can get through security without any issues and meet their docent on time.

10-15 minutes is probably sufficient for the entire process of getting from the entrance of the building to the starting point of your tour.

This is another common question we see on our group, and the unofficial answer is at least 2 weeks before the tour and up to 90 days ahead of time.

Even so, some of our members have indicated they scheduled their tour through their representative's office 6 months in advance.

For more helpful advice and suggestions, make sure to check our Washington DC Travel Tips group on Facebook, and consider asking our users any question you may have!

CAPITOL TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Exhibition Hall and Visitor Center Gallery

Once you get through security, you’ll find yourself in the beautiful Capitol Visitor Center.

This is where you’ll pick up your tickets if you’re taking a tour of the Capitol, but there are lots of things to check out before the tour even begins.

The beautiful, light-filled lower level is named Emancipation Hall , in remembrance of the slave labor that went into constructing the Capitol building and the United States as a whole.

Around Emancipation Hall you’ll see many statues ranging from a native Hawaiian king to an astronaut.

These are overflow from National Statuary Hall which you’ll generally see on the Capitol tour, and we discuss a few paragraphs down.

There are two gift shops on the upper level - North and South. There was a congressional order passed that everything sold in these gift shops must be made in America.

In the center of Emancipation Hall is a 19.5-foot (6 m) Statue of Freedom , the original plaster model of the allegorical figure that sits atop the Capitol dome.

She is perfect to scale, and this allows you to get up close and notice the incredible detail put into the work.

Our favorite detail is the eagle’s head that sits atop her helmet and is adorned with a Native American headdress.

Just behind the statue of Freedom is the Exhibition Hall.

In this small museum, called Out of Many One , you can learn both about the history of the U.S. Congress and its work and the construction of the Capitol Building.

Highlights here include an 11-foot (3.5 m) tall model of the Capitol Dome , which you are encouraged to touch, and live feeds of the House and the Senate when they are in session.

It may seem odd to have a crypt in the middle of what is basically a government office building, but there are no actual remains interred here.

In some of the original plans of the Capitol, it was thought that George Washington and his wife Martha might be buried here.

But the first president wished to be put to rest at his home in Virginia, Mount Vernon, where he remains to this day.

The Crypt does still carry great importance, as it marks the center of Washington, D.C. Around the room are 13 statues, of important individuals from the 13 original colonies. 

Old Supreme Court

The judicial branch of the United States government met in this room from 1810 to 1860, when it then moved to the Old Senate Chamber which is also often included on the tour.

Generally, you enter the robing room, where the Supreme Court Justices once all donned their black robes together before entering the court.

At the back of the room are Justice’s desks, some of which are original to the 19th century and were actually used by the Justices when the Supreme Court occupied this chamber.  

One of the most remarkable aspects of the room is the vaulted ceiling designed by Benjamin Latrobe which was inspired by medieval engineering techniques and resembles an umbrella.

The Rotunda

The heart of the building and undoubtedly the most iconic aspect of the Capitol Building is the Rotunda.

It is where honored citizens have laid in state, including Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Rosa Parks, and most recently, Billy Graham. 

In the original design of William Thornton, the rotunda was intended to be a simple dome modeled after the Pantheon in Rome.

However, when the building was expanded in the mid-1800s, it was clear that the dome needed to be enlarged as well, and construction of the massive wedding cake-style dome was begun.

Around the inside of the Rotunda are many pieces of art depicting important figures and events in American history.

At the center, there is the fresco the Apotheosis of Washington by Constantino Brumidi. It shows George Washington sitting in the heavens, flanked by the goddesses Liberty and Victory, and surrounded by 13 maidens representing the original 13 colonies.

Lower down the dome is a ring of friezes depicting American history from the landing of Columbus to the birth of aviation.

There are also many statues around the Rotunda, including one of Abraham Lincoln by Vinnie Ream, the first woman artist who received a commission from the American government.

National Statuary Hall

Like so many rooms in the Capitol, Statuary Hall is heavily influenced by ancient Greek architecture, drawing parallels between the origin of democracy and its rebirth in America.

Originally this room was intended to be a chamber for the House of Representatives.

However, the curved ceiling created strange acoustics, with whisper spots where someone speaking softly could be heard many yards away.

It was distracting during sessions, and many of the members didn’t like the idea of rivals hearing their secrets, so the House was relocated.

For many years, it was debated what to do with the room, until it was decided to dedicate it as space for states to honor their most eminent citizens.

Each state is invited to send two statues of their choosing in either marble or bronze, depicting people who have made a significant contribution to the history of that state.

Originally, all statues were placed in Statuary Hall, however as more and more states began sending their statues, the hall became was severely overcrowded.

Statues had to be placed behind each other, in some places 3 statues deep, and there were worries that the floor could not hold the huge weight.

Today the statues are scattered throughout the Capitol building as well as in the hall.

Old Senate Chamber

Since the country used to be much smaller, the Capitol building was as well. This is actually the third chamber that the Senate has met in.

The first had to be abandoned after just 6 years because it was crumbling and rotting, and the second was burned down by the British during the War of 1812.

Finally, the Senate convened here for 40 years.

In 1859 the Senate moved to its fourth and current chamber, and the Supreme Court moved in until it got its own building in 1935 ( which you could also tour ).

The Old Senate Chamber is richly decorated in crimson and gold and was inspired, like so much of Washington DC, by buildings in Paris.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES GALLERY PASSES

To visit the House of Representatives Gallery, which is where members of the House debate and take their votes, contact your representative or senator to obtain passes.

International visitors may inquire at the House of Representatives' appointment desk on the upper level of the Capitol Visitors Center.

These passes are not timed and can be used at any time during that year.

The House Gallery is open to visitors whenever the House of Representatives is in session ( see schedule ) until adjournment for that day.  

It is also "usually" open whenever the House is in recess, from 9:00 am until 4:15 pm, Mondays through Fridays.

You will have to go through additional security and leave all belongings outside of the gallery in storage containers.

You can bring a pen and paper, but that is about it!  Absolutely no photography.

PRO TIP:  You will need an additional 30 - 60 minutes to visit either of the legislative galleries. If time is short, then we recommend visiting the House Gallery.  

It is here that the President of the United States delivers his annual State of the Union Address and you are more likely to see action on the floor.

SENATE GALLERY PASSES

To visit the Senate Gallery, which is where members of the U.S. Senate debate and take their votes, contact your representative or senator to obtain passes.

International visitors may inquire at the Senate appointment desk on the upper level of the Capitol Visitors Center.

Open to visitors whenever the Senate is in session, from 30 minutes before the Senate convenes ( see schedule ) until adjournment for that day, which is usually 4:15 pm.  

It is also regularly open whenever the Senate is in recess for 1 week or more.

When in recess, visitors are permitted to view the gallery from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm, Mondays through Fridays.  

There is no access on Saturdays unless the Senate is in session.  

You could also call the Senate to confirm if the gallery is open - 202.224.0057.

You will have to go through additional security for either and leave all belongings outside of the gallery in storage containers.

You can bring a pen and paper and that is about it!   Absolutely no photography.

Related Posts

• How to Tour the Supreme Court 
• How to Tour the Library of Congress
• Other Things to do in Washington, DC

Consider our guided tour of Capitol Hill , which includes tickets to tour the U.S. Capitol Building.

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Florida man pleads guilty to assaulting law enforcement during Capitol riot

• Michael Moore Jr. The Bradenton Herald (TNS)

A Bradenton man pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

John Anthony Schubert III, 47, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on Thursday to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Schubert will be sentenced on July 11 by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper, according to a news release.

Prosecutors say Schubert was part of the “initial breach” of police barricades just before 1 p.m. on Jan. 6 at the Peace Circle on Pennsylvania Avenue and First Street Northwest.

Despite the area being closed to the public that day and blocked by fencing, prosecutors say Schubert and others breached the police barricades in this area and made their way to West Plaza.

Once in West Plaza, prosecutors say Schubert joined a large group of rioters fighting with law enforcement officers.

The law enforcement officers were struggling to prevent rioters, who heavily outnumbered them, from getting closer to the Capitol building, according to a news release.

Video footage appears to show Schubert pushing and shoving “at least one law enforcement officer,” the FBI wrote in an arrest warrant.

Schubert also attempted to punch the officer and only retreated from the fighting after he was sprayed with a chemical irritant, according to the release.

Prosecutors say Schubert then went to the Upper West Terrace and entered the Capitol building around 2:21 p.m. by climbing through a broken window next to the Senate Wing Door.

Once inside, the release says Schubert helped his parents climb through the same broken window a minute later.

The group then went to different locations inside the Capitol, including the Rotunda and Statuary Hall, before Schubert exited the building at approximately 2:43 p.m. through the East Front House Door, prosecutors said.

Schubert was identified in a photo shared by the FBI, the Department of Justice previously said.

Over three years after the Jan 6. riot, the Department of Justice says about 1,400 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the U.S. Capitol breach.

Around 450 people have been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers, with more than 120 individuals using a deadly weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer, according to the Department of Justice.

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Around 140 police officers were assaulted on Jan. 6 at the Capitol, including about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department, the Department of Justice says.

Bradenton man joined Jan. 6 attack with parents

Schubert was arrested on Oct. 4, 2023, in Bradenton, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.

Schubert’s parents, Amy and John Schubert Jr., were also previously arrested, charged and convicted for their role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The couple from Crest Hill, Illinois, were arrested on July 26, 2021, and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, according to the Department of Justice’s Website.

The two were identified after an anonymous tip submitted to the FBI in the form of YouTube video that showed people within the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

In the video, one of the people inside the Capitol wore a jacket with a logo on the back that read “Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 422 Joliet IL,” according to a criminal complaint.

The FBI then managed to find six Google accounts that were tied to the 815 Joliet area code and were geolocated to the U.S. Capitol building on that date, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.

One of the six names was “Amy Schubert,” according to the criminal complaint.

Both Amy and John Schubert Jr. took plea deals and were sentenced to 18 months’ probation, fines and 100 hours of community service, according to court documents.

Other Manatee County residents charged

Two other men with ties to the Bradenton area were arrested for taking part in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

Adam Johnson, a 38-year-old Parrish man, became one of the most recognized rioters at the Capitol thanks to a viral image of him carrying Nancy Pelosi’s lectern. He took a plea deal and served 75 days in prison, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.

Daniel Lyons Scott, a 30-year-old man who was identified as a Bradenton resident at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges, including assault. Investigators identified him as one of the first members of the mob to initiate contact with law enforcement on the Capitol steps before the first breach of the building.

Scott was a member of the far-right extremist Proud Boys group and went by the nickname “Milkshake,” according to prosecutors.

Schubert’s case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

The investigation was overseen by the FBI’s Tampa and Washington Field Offices, which identified Schubert in a BOLO or “be on the lookout” alert. The Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department also assisted in the investigation, according to the release.

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North Carolina welcomes a historic visitor in Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is cementing economic links and cultural amity with North Carolina after a visit to Washington focused on global security issues. His visit included a historic lunch at the governor’s mansion with Gov. Roy Cooper.

North Carolina first lady Kristin Cooper, North Carolina Gov. Roy Copper, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Japan first lady Yuko Kishida pose for a photograph before attending a luncheon at the North Carolina Executive Mansion, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)

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Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses a luncheon in his honor at the North Carolina Executive Mansion, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, back left, tour the assembly building during a visit to the Honda Aircraft facility in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, second from right, walks through the assembly building during a visit to the Honda Aircraft facility in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina and Kristin Cooper, arrive at the Booksellers area of the White House for the State Dinner hosted by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and wife Kishida Yuko, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber, Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper addresses a luncheon in honor of Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the North Carolina Executive Mansion, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)

Japan first lady Yuko Kishida, center, is flanked by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left and Shigeo Yamada, Japan Ambassador to the United States, during a luncheon in honor of the Prime Minister at the North Carolina Executive Mansion, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cemented economic links and cultural amity with North Carolina on Friday, following up time in Washington during his official U.S. visit by checking up on benchmark Japanese companies building in the ninth-most populous state and meeting with students.

In between, Kishida lunched at the governor’s mansion in Raleigh, a historic first for the head of a foreign country in the Tar Heel state. Japan is North Carolina’s largest source of foreign direct investment, where over 200 Japanese companies have now set up shop, employing over 30,000 people, according to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and his office.

“I am honored to be here in North Carolina to showcase the multilayered and strong ties between Japan and the United States,” Kishida said through a translator, inside the mansion ballroom, where about 60 people listened. The guest list included Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein, Republican state House Speaker Tim Moore and executives of several Japanese and American companies in the region.

He called North Carolina “a state at the forefront of the times” and flexed his knowledge about its landmarks, mentioning Kill Devil Hills, where the Wright Brothers had their first successful flight, as an example of the state’s ingenuity.

Until now, Kishida’s trip to the U.S. had been focused on global safety. He met President Joe Biden to discuss security concerns about China’s military, participated in the first trilateral summit between the U.S., Japan and the Philippines, and made the case in an address to a joint session of Congress for the U.S. to remain involved in global security.

But Kishida, who has been Japan’s prime minister since 2021, said before his trip that he chose to stop in North Carolina to show that the Japan-U.S. partnership extends beyond Washington, according to a translation posted on his website.

Kishida, Cooper and others traveled to the Greensboro area for Friday morning visits to a Honda Aircraft Co. production facility, as well as to the construction site for a Toyota Motor Corp. electric and hybrid battery plant that is expected to ultimately employ more than 5,000 people.

Hours before Kishida and his wife arrived Thursday night at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, a subsidiary of another Japanese company, Fujifilm, announced an additional $1.2 billion investment in its upcoming biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant and another 680 jobs.

Chiaki Takagi, a Japanese studies lecturer at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, said this week that the prime minister’s visit surprised her but that it could signal a “positive future partnership” between Japan and the U.S. and more Japanese workers coming to the state.

“This whole thing will provide the area with opportunities to be engaged in very active cultural exchange between Japan and the U.S.,” Takagi said.

The luncheon marked the first time a foreign head of state has visited the governor’s mansion since record-keeping began in 1891, the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources said.

“What a better way to start than with one of our closest allies and friends from the country of Japan, with whom we share so many common interests,” Cooper said at the luncheon. “So today we make history, welcoming our wonderful friends.”

Cooper has a history of visiting Japan, making two trips to Tokyo in 2017 and 2023 during his time as governor. When it was announced Kishida was coming to the U.S., Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, said during the luncheon Cooper was the first to call to ask for the prime minister to visit his state.

Guests dined on a three-course meal prepared by James Beard award-winning Raleigh chef Ashley Christensen, which included wagyu beef tenderloin and Carolina Gold Rice pudding. Meanwhile, additional members of the Japanese delegation and the governor’s staff listened to live bluegrass music as they ate barbeque.

Kishida, Cooper and others went to North Carolina State University in Raleigh later Friday, where they met students ranging from those in middle school to adults studying Japanese. They visited the university’s Japan Center, which was established by former Gov. Jim Hunt and others in 1980 following a state trade mission to Tokyo. North Carolina State also has long, formal ties with Japan’s Nagoya University.

Earlier Friday, Kishida’s wife, Yuko, and North Carolina first lady Kristin Cooper shared a traditional Japanese tea at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham.

Associated Press writer Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh contributed to this report.

25 years ago, the trauma of Columbine was 'seared into us.' It’s still 'an open wound'

Dave Cullen had just sat down to lunch – a Budget Gourmet frozen meal of beef stroganoff – when the media first reported shots fired at a school in Littleton, Colorado, on a warm April day a quarter of a century ago.

Jaclyn Schildkraut was home sick during her freshman year of college watching soap operas – "Days of Our Lives," she thinks – when the news broke in with aerial videos of SWAT teams and terrified students running out of Columbine High School with their hands over their heads.

Robert Thompson stayed awake watching the late-night news program " Nightline ," the interviews with survivors and their parents, the haunting video of then-17-year-old Patrick Ireland falling, bloodied, out the window of the school library into the arms of first responders.

The massacre at Columbine on April 20, 1999, during which 12 students and one teacher were killed, wasn’t the United States' first mass shooting at a school, nor would it be the last. But media experts told USA TODAY it quickly became one of the most infamous thanks in part to the advent of the 24-hour news cycle and the internet. In what felt like real time, the shooting sent shock waves through the Colorado community and the nation, shattering the belief that children were safe at school.

“It was seared into us,” said Cullen, journalist and author of "Columbine." “I wasn't calling it the start of the mass-shooter era then, but we knew we were into something new and horrible.”

The trauma of Columbine still haunts the country 25 years later, including students who weren’t alive to witness it. The massacre became a blueprint for dozens of copycats, led to major changes in school safety, and sparked an enduring legacy of activism as survivors push for better gun control and offer their support to the next generation of Americans affected by gun violence.

“There's no healing," Cullen said. "It's an open wound.”

Mass shooting news can cause stress

At the time, the massacre at Columbine wasn't the nation's deadliest school shooting , said Thompson, a trustee professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University. But the shooting came after the formation of CNN, Fox and MSNBC, which made it the first to get 24/7 television news coverage, which Thompson called “powerful and remarkably upsetting.”

Columbine was more closely watched than any other news story that year or that decade, except for the 1992 verdict in the Rodney King beating and the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, according to a 1999 survey from the Pew Research Center .

Shocking images were broadcast and television anchors interviewed students calling from inside the building, fueling the feeling that the disaster was still unfolding, Cullen wrote in "Columbine." Though the shooting ended just after noon, it would be several hours before police, the press and the public learned the perpetrators were dead, said Cullen, who covered the massacre for Salon . He said that may have contributed to the tragedy's staying power in the nation’s collective memory.

“We lived through it live,” he said. 

Another factor was the media's focus on the shooters, who intentionally left behind a collection of evidence that later would become celebrated on "some of the darkest corners of the internet," according to James Densley, professor of criminal justice at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota.

“It was a mass shooting designed to go viral before we knew what going viral even meant,” Densely said.

Research on mass tragedies in the decades since has found the more time people spend watching this kind of news, the more likely they are to report high levels of acute stress, according to E. Alison Holman, a professor in the school of nursing and department of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine. This is particularly true when the images are graphic, Holman said.

In a study on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing , Holman found consuming six or more hours a day of media coverage about the attack was associated with more acute stress symptoms than actually being at the site of the bombing. She said symptoms can include intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, shallow breathing and increased heart rate. The effects can last for years, Holman said.

Columbine anniversary can be difficult for survivors

It’s trauma that Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed at Columbine , believes people still don’t understand. Mauser said the anniversary of the shooting can be a particularly tough time. He said he helped plan a vigil for the victims Friday evening on the steps of Colorado's Capitol, but for survivors its a day "you want to get past quickly."

“It goes beyond just the ones who were killed or injured,” Mauser said. “The trauma can be quite crippling for some people.”

In the years since the shooting, Mauser has fought for stricter gun legislation as a member of Colorado Ceasefire. When speaking publicly, he wears the shoes his son was wearing the day of the massacre.

After Columbine, many survivors of mass shootings have followed in Mauser’s footsteps, including survivors of the 2018 attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Though activism can lead to burnout, research on climate change anxiety published in Current Psychology and sexual assault trauma published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology suggests engaging in activism can benefit participants' mental health.

In 1999, sustained mental health services were "not a thing,” said Missy Mendo, who was a 14-year-old freshman at Columbine at the time. The county provided six weeks of free mental health care, which Mendo said she used, but she did not return to therapy until years later, after she became a mother. 

Mendo is director of community outreach for The Rebels Project , an organization formed by a group of Columbine survivors after the 2012 mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado . The organization offers peer support to survivors of mass casualty events.

Though it's not a substitute for traditional counseling, Schildkraut, author of "Columbine, 20 Years Later and Beyond: Lessons from Tragedy," said her research has found connecting with a "survivor network" can be a crucial part of recovery.

Each year around this time, Mendo tries to plan something to take her mind off the memories. But she knows she can’t escape the calendar, and her "brain has the potential to turn to mashed potato,” she said with a laugh.

Copycat school shootings after Columbine

Columbine also spawned something more insidious: copycats. A study of 46 active shooter incidents at K-12 schools found nearly half of the shooters were influenced by Columbine , including the attackers in Parkland and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut , according to Densley, the Metropolitan State University professor who was a co-author for the study. A Mother Jones investigation in 2019 documented the "Columbine effect" in 74 plots and attacks spanning 30 states.

“These are events where the search histories of the shooters were that they were searching for Columbine, that they were engaged in chat rooms online where they were discussing Columbine or learning about the shooters,” said Densley, co-founder of the Violence Prevention Project. “There's examples as well of shooters who have dressed in black trenchcoats because that is part of the performance of violence that Columbine created.”

Though mass shootings are rare, 75% of people ages 15 to 21 said they are significant sources of stress, according to a 2018 survey by The Harris Poll for the American Psychological Association.

Columbine itself continues to be a target, too, said John McDonald, former executive director of school safety for Jefferson County Schools in Colorado. McDonald said security at Columbine costs more than twice that of any other high school in the district.

“Columbine was unique because when I started we still had tour buses showing up trying to drop people off to take tours of the building, and it was insane,” he said. “But we also had threats because of a fascination. A fascination and fixation on the tragedy and the killers.”

McDonald said that in his 14 years on the job, the threats never waned, and ultimately they reached a crescendo around the 20th anniversary of the massacre. In April 2019, a Florida teenager authorities described as “infatuated” with the shooting flew to Colorado and bought a shotgun in Littleton, prompting school shutdowns. The teenager was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"It was an incredibly scary time," McDonald said.

Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminology professor who has researched mass shooters, said the media attention on the perpetrators at Columbine may have contributed to this “contagion effect." Movements like No Notoriety, a campaign created by parents of Aurora theater shooting victim Alex Teves, now urge the media not to publish mass killers' names and photos.

But Lankford warned that media attention is not the only factor driving copycats .

“It doesn't mean there's a simple effect where it's like you learn about Columbine and that makes you want to kill people,” Lankford said. “It's more complicated than that. These people have other problems in their lives, other issues in terms of their psychological health.”

Shooter drills can cause anxiety

Sometimes, McDonald said, he feels "incredibly hopeful" about the progress in school safety since Columbine. Other times he's frustrated to see schools failing to take simple precautions like locking doors . He doesn’t want to be having these same conversations 25 years from now.

“We'd better be willing to get great, because those school shooters are studying. They're studying the past. They're studying the tactics. They're studying strategies. They're studying the training,” McDonald said. “They're preparing for us − we'd better be prepared for them.”

Protecting schools and being vigilant is vital, but it takes a toll, he said. More than a year ago, McDonald decided he needed a change and left Colorado.

“What I can tell you is that after all the years I did that work, I was flat worn out,” said McDonald, now chief operating officer of Missouri’s Center for Education Safety and the Council for School Safety Leadership. “I felt like this is a 24-hour-a-day way to live. And it was exhausting, it was emotional, it was physically taxing.”

School security, which has become a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry, can be taxing for others, too. Research by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund and the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Social Dynamics and Wellbeing Lab suggests an association between active shooter drills and increases in depression , stress and anxiety among students, parents and teachers.

Cullen, the author, said that like the changes in airport security after 9/11 , new security measures at schools after Columbine can be for some a reminder of the tragedy .

"America changed overnight in our fears and our behavior because of this," Cullen said. "Not only has no other shooting done that, but very few events, period."

Contributing: Reuters