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Who is Lauren Boebert? QAnon-backing Rep-elect wants to carry gun in Capitol, Internet says 'keep fighting'

'Our Constitutional right to bear arms exists even in places that reject this fundamental principle,' Boebert posted

A pro-gun Republican Congresswoman-elect who has previously expressed support for QAnon conspiracy theories has reportedly asked the police if she can carry her firearms on Capitol grounds. Lauren Boebert, 33, who was elected in a conservative district of Colorado is well-known as an activist who straps a pistol to her hip. According to two congressional officials who spoke to the Sun, she asked police officials about carrying her weapon when she and other House freshmen were in Washington DC for orientation programs. "This was a private discussion and inquiry about what the rules are, and as a result, the Congresswoman-elect won’t be going on the record,” Boebert aide Laura Carno said last week.

Under age-old congressional regulations, lawmakers are allowed to carry weapons under certain restrictions but members of the public are barred from carrying firearms in Capitol buildings and its grounds. Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki refrained from responding to questions about any kind of communications about weapon-carrying that the department might have had with Boebert and the number of lawmakers who carry firearms.

"There is no standing requirement that lawmakers notify them when they carry a firearm in the Capitol," officials said. According to the rules laid down in place, weapons need to be stored safely but "that responsibility lies with the member," they said. Lawmakers are not allowed to bring firearms into the House chamber but their respective aides can carry their weapons on their behalf on the Capitol complex.

A 1967 regulation says 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.” Boebert runs Shooters grill and her appointment to Congress comes at a time when gun control remains a passionate but deeply-split issue for both parties.

After news of her intention to carry a gun while on the job went viral, Boebert took to Twitter and wrote, "Our Constitutional right to bear arms exists even in places that reject this fundamental principle."

Not everyone was looking forward to Boebert carrying a firearm inside the Capitol. "Lauren Boebert has been arrested four times - including altercations with police - and is under investigation for 'unlawfully providing a handgun to a juvenile' who worked at her restaurant. Not exactly a law-abiding gun owner," tweeted Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement of Americans demanding reasonable solutions to address the nation’s culture of gun violence. 

However, there were people who supported her decision to carry her firearm. "My wife likes to wear her Glock. I tease her by saying 'Hey babe nice Glock'!!! I think it looks good no matter where you go!!!" one wrote while another said, "The Congresswoman with a big iron on her hip." A third said, "My kind of woman" 

Someone else noted, "The most protected woman of all is the one that doesn't need any protection." Another said, "As should every woman, thank you so much for setting this example." One said, "Keep fighting the good fight! Proud to see a congresswomen bringing her own 'piece' to work like it should be and representing the American people correctly".