Congresswoman-elect Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is known for being a prominent gun rights activist and owner of Shooters Bar and Grill in Rifle, Colorado. She made a name for herself when she stood up to then-presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, who made it clear he wanted to take away Americans' right to keep and bear arms. That's why it should come as no surprise that Boebert asked Capitol Police about rules and regulations for carrying inside the Capitol.
The public is barred from carrying firearms on Capitol grounds and offices. There are, however, special regulations that give members of Congress the authority to carry while working in Washington, D.C. The only requirement is that he or she safely store their firearm, which is left up to the representative's discretion.
Just like every other big Democrat-run city, D.C. has a high crime rate. Instead of understanding why Boebert would want to carry a firearm for self-protection, the Associated Press blew this up into an ordeal it didn't need to be.
From the AP (emphasis mine):
Boebert asked Capitol Police officials about carrying her weapon when she and other House freshmen taking office in January were in town recently for orientation programs, according to two congressional officials. Both people — a Democrat and a Republican — spoke on condition of anonymity to describe her request.
Aides to Boebert, who Trump endorsed as “a fighter" who will “never bow down to the establishment in Congress," did not make her available for an interview.
“This was a private discussion and inquiry about what the rules are, and as a result the Congresswoman-Elect won’t be going on the record,” Boebert aide Laura Carno said in an email last week.
The inquiries by Boebert, who runs Shooters Grill, come as guns remain a passionate issue for both parties, fueled by images of demonstrations by armed Trump supporters, conservative pushes to ease state gun restrictions and recent years' mass shootings.
Even so, prospects for significantly changing federal gun laws seem scant as a new, narrowly divided Congress takes office in January alongside President-elect Joe Biden.
The article goes on to talk about how Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) attempted to keep members from carrying, even though they're barred from carrying on the floor of the House.
He said members and their staffs carry firearms around the Capitol “all the time,” though he mentioned no names. He said lawmakers keep guns in their publicly accessible offices, though building entry has been limited due to COVID-19.
“Members could have a loaded AK47 sitting on their desk and no one would ever do anything about it," Huffman said.
Later in the article, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is cited because he was arrested in the late 1990s.
In 1999, Corey Lewandowski — then a congressional aide and later a manager of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign — was arrested when what court records called a loaded pistol was found in a laundry bag he was bringing into a House office building. Misdemeanor charges were dismissed.
The Capitol Police protect the complex with over 2,300 officers and civilian employees, according to its website. Its officers routinely arrest people caught trying to carry weapons at the Capitol.
The regulations letting lawmakers carry guns was written by the Capitol Police Board, which consists of four of Congress' top law enforcement and administrative officials.
The whole premise of the article is bogus. Boebert has every right to protect herself and those around her. Yes, Capitol Police exist. Yes, their job is to protect the men and women who are there to represent us. That, however, doesn't mean that their Second Amendment rights are tossed out the window. The congressional baseball shooting is a prime example of why members need to take their safety into their own hands. Remember: if Steve Scalise's detail hadn't been there, things could have ended up way worse than they did.
If the author thinks Boebert shouldn't be allowed to carry, he should come out and say that instead of writing a so-called "informative" piece about a total non-story.
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