Tuesday, January 05, 2021
“Wear my Glock in Congress”
MPs provoked with their gun
She comes from a town called Rifle. And she runs the “Shooters Grill”. Lauren Boebert stands by her love of guns. However, the fact that the newly appointed MP wants to wear them in the US Congress calls on the police.
The new members of the US Congress were sworn in on Sunday, and one of them is already causing a stir: Lauren Boebert, who was elected to the House of Representatives in Colorado’s third district, has announced that she will carry a semi-automatic weapon in the capital Washington DC and in Congress to want.
However, the police sent her a stern warning. The 34-year-old would have the same penalties as anyone else who illegally carries a gun on the streets of the District of Columbia, Police Chief Robert Contee said at a press conference. The city is currently preparing for protests by supporters of the outgoing President Donald Trump.
Boebert comes from the town of Rifle (in German: Gun) in Colorado. There she runs the “Shooters Grill” restaurant. No wonder, then, that on Sunday, the day she was sworn in, she announced, “I will carry my guns in DC and in Congress.” She wanted to defend her rights under the Second Amendment to the Constitution, she said. This guarantees citizens the right to carry weapons – an article that gun freaks and their lobby in the USA vehemently defend. However, the states regulate the right to carry weapons in public differently.
“I am my best security service”
In a martial-looking video, Boebert shows her semi-automatic Glock, which she puts in the holster, on social networks. After that, she can be seen walking the streets of Washington. Even if she works in one of the most liberal cities in America, she will not give up her rights, she said. You don’t drive to work with escorts or an armored car. “I am my best security service,” said Boebert.
In the capital, however, it is forbidden to carry weapons openly; weapons from other states must be registered. Comparatively strict rules apply here. This is especially true for the Capitol with the two chambers of parliament. MEPs are only allowed weapons in their offices – which is primarily aimed at ceremonial objects such as wall decorations.
Is it because of the strict requirements that Boebert is not so strict about her promise? A Republican employee is quoted by Reuters as saying that she has not brought her Glock to work so far. The MPs and some colleagues were working on changing the rules of the House of Representatives so that they could always have their Glock with them. Given the current democratic majority, it is doubtful whether the group can get away with it. Especially since it wasn’t until December that a group of Democratic Senators advocated stricter rules for MPs.