US Representative Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) has been an official member of Congress for only one day, but she’s already managed to trigger political adversaries by advertising her vow to carry a Glock pistol to work.
“Not only is it my right, but it’s a right I was sent here to protect,” Boebert said in a video posted Sunday night on Twitter. The video shows the congresswoman chambering a clip and holstering a semi-automatic pistol in the back of her waistband, under a blazer, then walking on the streets of Washington as she discusses why she will carry a gun on Capitol Hill.
Let me tell you why I WILL carry my Glock to Congress. Government does NOT get to tell me or my constituents how we are allowed to keep our families safe.I promise to always stand strong for our 2nd Amendment rights.https://t.co/E75tYpdN4Bpic.twitter.com/qg7QGenrNo
“Even though I now work in one of the most liberal cities in America, I refuse to give up my rights, especially my Second Amendment rights,” Boebert said. She added that as a mother of four who’s just 5-foot tall and 100 pounds, “I choose to defend my family with all of the force the Constitution provides.”
Boebert, who also cited Washington’s high crime rate, has a history of making provocative statements about guns. Just last month she tweeted: “I’ve always heard to ‘speak softly and carry a big stick.’ I prefer to speak loudly and carry a Glock.” She also said she provides mandatory firearms training and target practice for employees at her restaurant, called Shooters, in western Colorado.
I’ve always heard to “speak softly and carry a big stick.”I prefer to speak loudly and carry a Glock.
After Boebert’s latest pro-gun brashness, reporters asked Washington Police Chief Robert Contee about the new congresswoman’s plans. Members of Congress are allowed to carry a gun on Capitol grounds, but Contee said he will inform Boebert that she’s subject to the same penalties as anyone else if she’s found with a concealed firearm elsewhere in the city.
The District of Columbia has strict gun-control laws. A member of Congress is permitted to carry a gun at the Capitol, as long as it’s stored in the lawmaker’s office and unloaded while transported.
Ryan Scott, chief technology officer for an augmented-reality new application called CrimeDoor, mocked Boebert for feeling the need to carry a gun to Congress. “If you had the benefit of good arguments, you wouldn’t need guns,” he said. “What a bunch of cowards.”
But Boebert shot back, saying “Were the founding fathers, who made guns the second point in their argument for the foundation of this country, also a ‘bunch of cowards’?”
21 Democrats wrote a letter to Nancy Pelosi asking her to stop me from being able to carry on Capitol Hill.I choose to defend my family and my life with all of the force the Constitution provides.I’m honored that 82 of my colleagues have decided to stand with me. pic.twitter.com/OBkVuAFvv7
Others, such as gun-control activist Shannon Watts, reacted to Boebert’s new ad by tweeting about her and her husband’s arrest record. Still others suggested that she’s irrational for thinking that DC is unsafe. Homicides in Washington rose to a 15-year high in 2020, and the city’s murder rate has historically ranked among the 10 highest in the US.
Who is she expecting to break through Capitol Hill House Office Buildings security and come at her? My goodness, living in such fear must be exhausting. There’s a reason DC doesn’t have open OR concealed carry. DC is not the Wild West.
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