Article Source: 83 House Members Reject Democrat Plan to Prevent Lawmakers From Carrying Firearms on Capitol Hill – Planet Free Will
houseMore than 80 members of the House of Representatives are taking a stand against a Democrat plan to end lawmakers’ eligibility to carry firearms on the grounds of Capitol Hill under current regulations.
The effort is being lead by Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) who says she refuses to give up her ability to carry a firearm while spending time in the crime ridden District of Columbia.
“I refuse to give up my Second Amendment rights,” Boebert said in a statement, adding:
“I’m a 5-foot tall, 100-pound mom with four children and will be walking to work and serving in one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. I choose to defend my family and my life with all of the force the Constitution provides. I will not let a bunch of gun-grabbing House Democrats take away my Constitutional right to protect myself.”
The Colorado representative’s call for allowing the continuation to pack heat has been joined by 82 other members including Louie Gohmert, Matt Gaetz, and Dan Crenshaw.
Gun Owners of America, the National Rifle Association and the Conservative Partnership Institute have also come out in support of Boebert’s effort.
Since the late 1960’s, members of congress have been able to possess and carry firearms on Capitol Hill under U.S. Capitol Police Board regulations.
The regulations state that no federal or District of Columbia laws restricting firearms “shall prohibit any Member of Congress from maintaining firearms within the confines of his office” or “from transporting within Capitol grounds firearms unloaded and securely wrapped,” according to the Associated Press.
Recently, 21 Democrat House members sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to include “a provision in the Rules package directing the Capitol Police Board to ensure that Members of Congress may not possess firearms on Capitol grounds.”
The Democrats backing the measure say they want members of Congress held to the same gun control rules as the public.
“Ultimately, the current regulations create needless risk for Members of Congress, their staff, members of the Capitol Police, and visitors to the Capitol grounds,” the Democrat’s letter reads.
“A provision in the Rules package directing the Capitol Police Board to ensure that Member of Congress may not possess firearms on Capitol grounds would ensure clarity surrounding firearms policy and protect all individuals in and around the Capitol. We urge inclusion of this commonsense protection in the 117th Congress.”
The House of Representatives is expected to take up the House Rules Package during the week of January 4.
In defense of their hard stance on the Second Amendment, the letter signed by the 83 House members highlights two instances where carrying a firearm would have been in the best interest of members including the shooting at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia, where rep. Steve Scalise was hit with a bullet during a practice for the annual congressional baseball game.
It also mentions a 1998 instance in which a gunman entered the Capitol through a member and employee entrance and started a shoot out with Capitol Police. The gunman would ultimately kill two officers before being shot and apprehended in the office of then Majority Whip Tom DeLay.
Nearly 200 people had been killed from gun violence in Washington D.C. last year with local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Darrell Gaston, calling the city a “war-zone.”
“Imagine what it feels like to walk outside and take your trash to the trash can,” Gaston said. “It’s a war zone.”
The city’s homicide count in 2020 was the highest it’s been since 2005.
With that noted, we doubt Boebert will ever relinquish her weapon of choice while on Capitol Hill …
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