Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was granted a concealed carry permit in D.C. on Thursday after an ad of the Colorado Republican went viral days before the deadly insurrection at the Capitol showing her walking around Capitol grounds with what appears to be a handgun and saying she will “carry my firearm in D.C. and in Congress.”
Although members of Congress can carry guns on Capitol grounds or in their office, firearms are not allowed on the House or Senate floor and other select areas, and individuals must obtain a permit to walk around D.C. while armed.
During a press conference on Thursday, D.C. police Chief Robert Contee confirmed that Boebert was granted a concealed carry permit in the District, according to the Washingtonian.
The Washingtonian reported that Contee said D.C. Police contacted Boebert’s office after the video of her walking around D.C. with a handgun went viral. Contee explained that D.C. police outlined the city’s concealed carry laws to Boebert’s office before granting her a concealed carry permit, which allows the Colorado Republican to carry her gun to and from work, or elsewhere in the District.
Contee said he was unsure how many other members of Congress have been granted a concealed carry permit in D.C., but “his guess” is that “there are others,” according to the Washingtonian.
According to the Hill, Contee also said that although the viral video of Boebert suggested that she was armed, the Colorado Republican has not been seen carrying a gun aside from the video. Contee claimed that after Boebert’s ad was released, he learned of a permit application “in the works” at the department.
“As we do with all our permits, if citizens are allowed to carry, then we grant them a permit,” Contee said, according to the Hill. “In this case, she was allowed to carry and she was granted a permit. And yes, we did reach out to the office.”
TPM has reached out to Boebert’s office for comment.
Boebert’s communications director Benjamin Stout confirmed to The Hill on Thursday that the Colorado representative received her concealed carry permit, adding “as a Co-Chair of the Second Amendment Caucus, she has proudly helped some of her colleagues receive this permit as well.”
Following the deadly breaching of the Capitol last month, other Republican lawmakers have drawn attention for being armed on Capitol grounds.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) set off metal detectors with a concealed gun last month. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) has also fessed up to supposedly being armed during the riots, but it’s unclear whether Cawthorn carried a gun to the House floor.
Along with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who’s faced backlash for espousing unfounded QAnon conspiracy theories and is set to be stripped of her committee assignments as a result, Boebert also has a history of being a bullhorn for deranged conspiracy theories.
In the aftermath of the Capitol riots, Boebert denied giving a tour to rioters after erroneously accusing Rep. Sean Maloney (D-NY) of “falsely” claiming in an MSNBC interview that she was the unnamed GOP lawmaker rumored to have given a “reconnaissance tour” of the building the day before the deadly insurrection.
After Maloney tweeted back at Boebert denying that he singled her out, citing a link to a transcript of his MSNBC interview where Maloney explained that a colleague of his had seen the Colorado Republican conduct a tour of the Capitol on the eve of the insurrection, Boebert replied with a “thousand apologies” to Maloney.
“I’m glad you clarified you were not making any remarks about me whatsoever,” Boebert tweeted to Maloney. “Please clarify that with the people making death threats and also MSNBC so they can set the record straight.”
