© David Zalubowski/APRep. Lauren Boebert, elected to represent Colorado's vast 3rd Congressional District, carried a gun during a freedom cruise staged by her supporters in Pueblo West, Colo. She is one of several new members who have pledged to fight attacks on the Second Amendment.
Pistol-packing Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert has drawn a lot of attention to herself for testing the limits of liberal Washington's gun hate.
First, she walked around the city for a video showing a Glock on her hip. She has strolled the halls of Congress with it on. In a Zoom call, she sat in front of two AR-15s, a pistol, and a shotgun. And she even went through the process of winning a concealed carry permit from the Metropolitan District Police.
© Provided by Washington ExaminerNew Rep. Lauren Boebert is co-chair of the Second Amendment Caucus. Photo courtesy Rep. Boebert's office.
"You want it in case you need it, and, you know, I have my firearm in case I need it. I never want to have a day where I don't have it and then need it," the first-term Republican firebrand said in an interview.
Because of House rules, she didn't have her Glock on Jan. 6 when she was in the Chamber and election protesters stormed the Capitol. "I was disarmed, and I wasn't able to defend myself," she said, making her point.
Apparently, it also made a strong impression on other members suddenly interested in carrying a weapon in Washington for the first time.
And now, Boebert is showing them the ropes.
"I've had the privilege of hosting classes for members of Congress and the Senate to receive their Washington, D.C., concealed carry permit, yes," she told me. "We're making sure that members are fully able to protect themselves within all bounds of the law," she added.
Without naming names, Boebert indicated that she has helped about a dozen members so far. "You need more than two hands," she said of those she's guided through the process.
"There's an extensive course that anyone needs to go through to obtain their permit here in Washington, D.C. We were able to bring in an instructor and have members participate in that course, and then they went to Maryland and another target shooting range required for D.C. law and then went down to MPD and filled out all the paperwork to receive their permits," she said.
For Boebert, who called while standing near the fence surrounding the Capitol that she's dubbed "Fort Pelosi," she and her class members are concerned about their safety in high-crime Washington as they face growing death threats. "We certainly have to protect ourselves," said Boebert.
Many death threats have been directed at her. "I have received credible death threats. I mean, these people have been contacted by the FBI. My family has received death threats, and I'm not alone in that. There are many members," she said, including Democrats.
Her efforts and history on Second Amendment issues give her credibility in the upcoming fight against gun control pushed by House liberals and President Biden. For example, in just her first term, she was named a co-chair of the House Second Amendment Caucus.
Back home in Rifle, Colorado, she owns the Shooters family restaurant where the wait staff packs heat, and she challenged a gun ban promise by then-Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke in a clash that went viral. Much of her western Colorado district has a strong gun and hunting culture.
She is one of several new House Republicans that are savvy with social media and pro-Second Amendment. Fellow first term Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has already introduced legislation to challenge the pro-gun control Democrats and hosted her third gun giveaway.
Greene told Secrets she plans to apply for her concealed carry permit in Washington. "I have my license back home in Georgia. Some time soon I'll get to do that here, but right now I'm more focused on protecting the people's gun rights than being solely focused on my own."
Being in the Republican minority, said Boebert, makes it hard to fight liberal attacks on guns and other issues, but she's got a plan.
"My job right now, in the minority, is to be a good communicator. I need to get in the Democrats' way, and I need to tell the American people how I'm getting in their way. Every time Joe Biden and his regime try to take the American people's rights, their ability to defend themselves, I will make sure every American knows that this government doesn't trust you to make your own life decisions," she said.
Tags: Washington Secrets, Biden Administration, Joe Biden, Gun Control
Original Author: Paul Bedard
Original Location: Rep. Lauren Boebert: Have gun, will teach