WASHINGTON – Security is tight at events during Pope Francis’ visit to the nation’s capital, and that means those with tickets will have to leave the selfie sticks and drones at home.
Everyone, including the general public and those with tickets, who enters the motorcade route or ticketed events during the visit will be screened by law enforcement.
Attendees should give themselves extra time to allow for thorough bag checks and security screenings.
D.C. officials released a list of restricted items that includes bikes, glass containers, hard-shell coolers and guns.
Those items must be thrown away before entering a secure area. Police will confiscate weapons of any kind, which will not be returned or available for pickup afterwards.
Prohibited items include:
- Aerosols
- Ammunition
- Animals other than service/guide dogs
- Bags exceeding 8 inches by 6 inches by 4 inches
- Signs cannot be made of anything except cardboard, poster board or cloth
- Balloons
- Bicycles
- Hard-sided coolers (soft-sided thermal coolers are allowed)
- Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems
- Explosives
- Firearms
- Glass, thermal, or metal containers
- Laser pointers
- Mace/Pepper spray
- Packages
- Selfie sticks
- Structures
- Supports for signs and placards
- Toy guns
- Weapons of any kind
- Any other item determined to be a potential hazard
