Cannon House Office Building. (Photo by Ken Lund)

A woman pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in court after Capitol Police arrested her for trying to enter the Capitol Complex with a loaded handgun in a suitcase.

Kimberly D. Barber had two suitcases with her last Friday when she walked into the Cannon House Office Building. While screening the bags, a Capitol Police officer saw that one of them contained a loaded handgun, according to a statement from the Capitol Police.

The 34-year-old from D.C. was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor.

Barber is an employee of Navajo Nation’s D.C. office. She told investigators the gun belonged to a Navajo Nation Police Department officer and she did not know it was in the suitcase, according to court records obtained by NBC Washington

Federal law prohibits all firearms, regardless of their state permit status, from the Capitol Complex (as D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton likes to remind Republicans looking to loosen District gun laws). But there’s still a long tradition of people getting caught and arrested for trying.

“Both Ms. Barber and the Navajo Nation will continue to fully cooperate with the Capitol Police and the District of Columbia to ensure this unfortunate incident comes to a quick and just conclusion,” Barber’s lawyer told NBC Washington in a statement.