Webb Aide Tried To Take Gun Into Senate Building, Capitol Police Say

Any senator who has a gun permit and wants to bring a gun onto congressional property must unload the gun and make sure it is "securely wrapped," Schneider said. In this case, the problem was that the gun was loaded and that Thompson was not registered to have it, she said.

Thompson's family could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Thompson is a former writer and Marine who fought in the Persian Gulf War, said Robert Hodierne, senior managing editor for Army Times Publishing Co., where Thompson used to work as an editor.

"He's a fine fellow," Hodierne said. "He's married with kids, a family man, a solid citizen."

Army Times, a Gannett Co. subsidiary, publishes four weekly newspapers covering the military: Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times. Most recently, Thompson worked as an editor in the features and lifestyle section that appeared in the papers, Hodierne said.

He left last March to work for the Webb campaign, Hodierne said. According to an online biography, Thompson is from Mississippi and is the author of two books: "Into the Storm," a memoir of his time in the Persian Gulf War, and "The Enemy Within," a novel.

Staff writers Michael D. Shear and Mary Beth Sheridan contributed to this report.