The West Wing
Object

Honor Guard Ceremonial Rifle (Dress Marine Drill Prop)

A government-issue ceremonial rifle with a blued-steel barrel, varnished walnut stock, brass fittings and leather sling, maintained to mirror-image precision. In the scene a dress Marine shoulders and executes a sharp drill with the weapon, producing a sudden, blank-laden thump that physically startles Barry Haskel. Characters treat the rifle as both a visible emblem of state force and a tactile prop: it is shouldered, presented, and used to punctuate Leo's staging rather than to inflict real harm.
8 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

8 moments
S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
No PR, Yes Dignity: Bartlet Denies a Pitch and Endorses an Honor Guard

The honor guard rifles are used in the three-volley salute at Arlington; their blank reports puncture the montage and trigger visceral reactions (Toby flinches, Mrs. Landingham flinches), underscoring how ritual sound can reopen grief.

Before: Held assembled by the military honor guard, cleaned and ceremonially loaded with blanks.
After: Shouldered and fired in salute; after the salute they are returned to ceremonial order, having fulfilled their ritual role.
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S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
An Honor in the Margins

The ceremonial rifles are handled by the honor guard to render a three-volley salute at Arlington; their reports puncture the montage and physically impact mourners who flinch, converting abstract honor into visceral sound.

Before: Held and shouldered by the honor guard in ceremonial readiness.
After: Fired the salute and returned to ceremonial carriage, marking the ritual's completion.
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S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
The Folded Flag — Honor for the Unseen

Honor guard rifles are used for the three-volley salute: their blank reports puncture the montage, eliciting physical flinches from Toby and Mrs. Landingham and converting abstract grief into sensory, ceremonial reality.

Before: Held ready by the honor guard prior to salute, maintained in ceremonial condition.
After: Reshouldered and returned to ceremonial order after the salute; remain as instruments of ritual precision.
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S1E21 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
Staged Welcome — Leo Parks Barry in the Fold

The ceremonial Honor Guard rifle is shouldered by Rodney and used as a theatrical instrument: a short, precise drill that ends with a heavy thump to physically startle Barry and punctuate the staged intensity of the encounter.

Before: Shouldered by the dress Marine (Rodney) at Leo's office entrance, polished and ceremonially positioned.
After: Returned to drill position and exited with Rodney; remains undischarged and functionally unchanged.
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S1E21 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
Outing, Pressure, and the White House Trap

The Honor Guard ceremonial rifle is shouldered by Rodney and used to perform a sharp drill that culminates in a loud thump; it functions as a physical punctuation to Leo's staging, deliberately designed to startle and unsettle Barry and convert nervousness into visible submission.

Before: In Leo's office doorway, shouldered by the dress Marine and held in ceremonial posture.
After: Rodney departs with the rifle; it is removed from the doorway and returned to military personnel custody after the drill.
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S1E21 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
Oval Pressure Play — Polls as Leverage

The Honor Guard Ceremonial Rifle is shouldered by Rodney on Leo's command and drills to a final thump that startles Barry; it functions as a tactile and auditory instrument of stagecraft—translating institutional force into psychological pressure.

Before: Racked and positioned in Leo's office as part of ceremonial display, held by the dress Marine.
After: After the drill, returned to the Marine's ceremonial possession and removed from the immediate stage as Rodney exits.
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S1E21 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
36 Hours: Polling Pressure and C.J.'s Vindication

The honor guard's ceremonial rifle is used as an instrument of psychological theater in the Oval: a sharp drill and thump punctuate Leo's pressure on Barry Haskell, startling attendees and lending a performative edge to persuasion tactics.

Before: Held by a dress Marine prepared for ceremonial drill in the Oval antechamber.
After: Returned to ceremonial readiness after the drill; its brief use leaves an audible memory in the room but no physical damage.
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S1E21 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
Containment: Bartlet's Quiet Trades and the White House in Crisis

The ceremonial rifle is used as a staged psychological prop: shouldered by a dress Marine while Leo times the drill to produce a loud, startling thud that punctuates his pressure campaign on the wavering FEC commissioner.

Before: Maintained in ceremonial condition, staged off-camera in the Oval for a planned drill.
After: Returned to ceremonial custody after performing the intended intimidation effect; remains intact and formally handled.
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