GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert Sets Off Capitol Metal Detector, Refuses To Have Bag Searched

Last week, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) refused to have her bag searched when it set off metal detectors at the Capitol building.

Boebert is a gun rights activist and the co-chair of the Second Amendment caucus, which supports expanding gun accessibility to civilians.

While Boebert refused to have her bag searched by Capitol police and did not say if she was carrying a firearm in her bag, she later wrote in a Twitter message, “I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C. and within the Capitol complex.” She called the enhanced Capitol security measures a “stunt” orchestrated by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

Boebert would only be allowed to carry a firearm into the Capitol building at the discretion of the Capitol Police Board.

As a result of the Jan. 6 riots and breaching of the Capitol building, firearms are currently not allowed in the complex. This is likely why Boebert was unwilling to open her bag for Capitol Police.

Current acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett confirmed in a statement that firearms are currently prohibited in the Capitol. “Failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber,” Blodgett said.