As the nation enters year two of a literal global pandemic, all eyes are on incoming elected officials to help guide us into safe practices, economic relief, and a lifted morale for the future. For example, on Sunday, President-elect Joe Biden tweeted an inspiring message: “Here’s my promise to you: I’ll be a president for all Americans. Whether you voted for me or not, I’ll wake up every single morning and work to make your life better.” Also on Sunday, new Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado tweeted a video with the message: “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.” The viral video appears to show her walking around the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. as she argues her case.
Priorities, right? In addition to being roasted by Twitter, the chief of Washington, D.C. Police has actually said he plans to contact Boebert about her plans to bring her Glock handgun to work. Why? Because D.C. has some very strict regulations about firearms. Let’s breakdown the details—including the fact that Boebert sadly isn’t the only new Congress member who wants to carry their firearms into chambers—below.
First, Boebert’s tweet and video.
“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 opens in the video. She describes D.C. as one of the “top ten” most dangerous cities in the nation, and says homicide rates are “skyrocketing.” She argues that because she walks to work by herself in the morning, as a self-identified 5 foot tall, 100-pound woman, she “chooses to protect” herself “legally.” Whew.
What brought on this video? Probably the fact that, as reported by The Washington Post, some Democrats tried to bar members from carrying firearms on the Capitol. Mind you, Boebert essentially ran on the Second Amendment, so her jumping at the chance to spew her gun message is not entirely surprising. She’s so into gun culture, in fact, she owns an open-carry restaurant called Shooters Grill (yes, really) in Colorado. You might remember Shooters Grill in particular because Boebert, as covered by The New York Times, kept the restaurant open in spite of state coronavirus restrictions over the summer (she reportedly complied after a cease-and-desist order from the sheriff county).
During a press conference on Monday, Police Chief Robert Contee III reportedly clarified that Boebert “will be subjected to the same penalties as anyone else that’s caught on the D.C. streets carrying a firearm," when asked about her apparent plan to bring a gun to Congress. Contee said he intends to reach out to her to make sure she is “aware of what the laws are” in D.C. Because being a lawmaker doesn't exempt anyone from the district’s gun laws outside of the Capitol complex—whether you’re five feet tall or not.
