A new congresswoman from Colorado, Rep. Lauren Boebert, has rallied 83 other representatives to counter an effort by Democratic legislators to prohibit politicians from carrying firearms in and around the Capitol.
Boebert, a vocal supporter of gun rights, rallied lawmakers to oppose a measure by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., to prohibit carrying a gun throughout the Capitol grounds. Huffman garnered support from 19 other House members and said in a mid-December letter that “current regulations,” which allow concealed firearms for politicians, “create needless risk.”
“I refuse to give up my Second Amendment rights,” Boebert said in a press release. “I’m a 5-foot tall, 100-pound mom with four children and will be walking to work and serving in one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.”
The letter from those supporting the ability to carry guns at the Capitol reads:
If Members can’t carry on Capitol grounds, they can’t protect themselves in D.C. while making their way to and from their offices to perform their official duties. The ‘last-mile’ transition of self-protection is critical. The current regulations provide transitional coverage once the Member is physically on campus.
Boebert is the owner of Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, a gun-themed restaurant where waitstaff openly carry pistols. The restauranteur has insisted that she plans to carry her Glock while serving in Washington, The Denver Post reported in late November.
The new congresswoman cited the June 2017 incident in which a gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball game, injuring then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. To bolster their claims, the group of lawmakers supporting her also mentioned a 1998 attack in which a man killed two Capitol Police officers in a shootout inside the Capitol.
“Millions of Americans go to work every day while carrying firearms for self-defense,” Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, a prominent Second Amendment group, said in the press release. “So why shouldn’t Members of Congress or their staff be able to do the same? Criminals won’t follow the laws, and they will always manage to get their hands on weapons, regardless of the restrictions in place.”
The offices of Boebert and Huffman offices had not responded to requests for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation at publication time.
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