Recently sworn-in Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert said she will carry her firearm to Congress, and vowed to protect Second Amendment rights.
On Sunday, Boebert tweeted a video showing her walking down the street on Capitol Hill will her firearm safely secured in her holster.
“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,” Boebert tweeted. “I promise I will always stand strong for our 2nd Amendment rights.”
“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 said in the video.
Boebert then listed “the real reasons” she is adamant about carrying a firearm in the nation’s capital, including being a woman and a mother of four. She noted that Washington, D.C. is one of the most dangerous cities in the country, with skyrocketing homicide and violent crime.
“I don’t go to work in a motorcade or armored car. I don’t get police escorts everywhere I go. I walk to my office every morning by myself. So as a five foot tall, 100 pound woman, I choose to protect myself legally, because I am my best security,” Boebert said.
The freshman Congresswoman’s plan to carry on Capitol Hill sparked backlash among critics of the Second Amendment, with 21 Democrats even writing a letter to Nancy Pelosi in an effort to stop Boebert from carrying in Congress.
In response, 82 other members of Congress wrote a letter supporting Boebert’s right to carry.
Several days later, the new rules for the 117th Congress were revealed, none of which included limiting members’ right to carry a firearm.
Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, accused his new colleague of performing a “political stunt” and “disrespecting” Capitol police.
“The US [Capitol police] are professionals & I have rarely felt safer,” he tweeted. “I should know. I’ve carried a gun for work. If Boebert wants to talk safety, I have legislation to discuss.”
Boebert also said she plans to join the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative caucus that is currently led by Republican Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona.
