Newly elected Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert, who represents Archuleta County and much of western Colorado in the US House of Representatives, kicked off the session with a digital advertisement proclaiming her right to carry a Glock on the grounds of the US Capitol and in the streets of Washington.
Ms. Boebert, who owns the gun-themed restaurant ‘Shooters Grill’ in Rifle, Colorado, stated in her advertisement, “Even though I now work in one of the most liberal cities in America, I refused to give up my rights, especially my Second Amendment rights… I will carry my firearm in DC and in Congress.”
In her video, she implies that DC residents don’t understanding “how we live in real America” — suggesting that people who live in the nation’s capital are somehow separate from the rest of the United States.
According to a story in the Washington Post posted on January 4:
A spokesman for Boebert said she was not carrying the gun throughout the video shoot, despite the opening scene. D.C. gun laws do not recognize concealed-carry licenses from other states, and nonresidents must register firearms with D.C. police…
Asked about the ad on Monday, acting D.C. police chief Robert J. Contee III said Boebert would have to follow applicable laws if she wanted to carry a firearm on city streets, and would be subjected to the same penalties as anyone else if she does not.
“There are no exceptions in the District of Columbia,” Contee said. “We plan to reach out to the congresswoman’s office to make sure that she is aware of what the laws of the District of Columbia are, what the restrictions are.”
Boebert’s aide told Reuters reporter Richard Cowan that she and “a posse of other House members” would soon propose changing the Democratic-controlled chamber’s rules so that she can pack her Glock wherever and whenever she wants.