Colorado Republican asks Capitol Police to carry her firearm on Capitol groundsRepresentative-elect Lauren Boebert has asked the U.S. Capitol Police about carrying her firearm on Capitol grounds when she takes office in January.
“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’s spokeswoman Laura Carno told the Associated Press, confirming that the discussion had taken place.
Boebert asked the Capitol Police about carrying her weapon when she and other members of the incoming first-term representatives were in town for orientation programs, two congressional sources told the Associated Press.
A 1967 regulation says that no federal or Washington, D.C., laws restricting firearms “shall prohibit a Member of Congress from maintaining firearms within the confines of his office” or “from transporting within the Capitol grounds firearms unloaded and securely wrapped.”
Members are not allowed to bring their weapons into the House chamber and other nearby areas. Aides are allowed to carry lawmakers’ weapons for them around the Capitol grounds.
“There is no standing requirement” that members have to notify the Capitol Police that they are carrying weapons on the grounds of the Capitol, an agency spokesperson told the Associated Press.
Boebert, who runs a gun-themed restaurant called Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, was elected to Congress after a surprising primary victory over incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton. She received the endorsement of President Trump, who called Boebert a “fighter” who will “never bow down to the establishment in Congress.”
Rep. Jared Huffman attempted to ban members from carrying weapons in 2018, but he abandoned the effort when he faced opposition from colleagues. He said that he would not make a similar effort this year but noted that he believed the loophole that allowed members to carry weapons was outdated and that there are no checks to make sure guns aren’t brought to the House floor.
“Members could have a loaded AK-47 sitting on their desk, and no one would ever do anything about it,” the California Democrat said in 2018, noting that members and staffers carry guns around the Capitol “all the time.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, however, said he believes that lawmakers should be allowed to have weapons, citing the shooting spree that injured Rep. Steve Scalise during a congressional baseball practice as an example of the dangers that lawmakers face.
“As soon as you leave the Capitol property, you are a target,” the Kentucky Republican said.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, an incoming representative, also backed Boebert’s desire to carry a gun.
“Not only do I support members of Congress carrying a firearm, I believe every American has that right,” Greene said in a statement. “I will work every day to end ALL gun free
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