Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado has downplayed calls for gun control in the aftermath of the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, claiming that the country “didn’t ban planes” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In the midst of the Robb Elementary School tragedy, which left 19 children and two adults dead, the Republican representative suggested that gun-free zones are “deadly” and that tighter gun legislation would not work because “we cannot legislate evil.”
Boebert went on to say that the Democrats are trying to use the tragedy to push “their radical political agenda” of tighter gun legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blocking a Republican-sponsored school safety bill, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling Boebert a “useless piece of furniture” for voting against stricter gun laws, and Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke interrupting Greg Abbott’s press conference to accuse the governor of “doing nothing” to prevent mass shootings were among the “shameful” examples given by Boebert.
“When 9/11 happened, we didn’t ban planes, we secured the cockpit,” Boebert explained.
“And of course, leave it to Barack Obama to make this issue more divisive instead of allowing the nation to come together, mourn and heal,” she said, a clear reference to the former president’s tweet linking the Uvalde killing to the two-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death.
Reaction on social media
Several social media users pointed out that while the United States did not ban planes in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, airport security was significantly improved and entire government departments were created to prevent a similar disaster from occurring again.
“I think Lauren Boebert’s point is that after 9/11, we didn’t do anything,” Matt Full, editor of The Daily Beast, tweeted while posting a clip of Boebert’s words. “There was no government response. No loss of liberties. No legislation. Just continued doing the same things we’d always been doing .”
Michael Eisen, a biologist, added: “Good analogy Lauren Boebert. So let’s do for guns today what we did for planes after 9/11: create a US Gun Security Administration, and give them a massive budget to do whatever is necessary to prevent people from using guns as weapons .”
During her Hannity appearance, Boebert supported Republican claims that arming teachers and making schools more difficult to target will prevent mass shootings.
“I want real solutions, not just tweets,” Boebert added. “I want our schools secured. I want our children protected. And I want teachers that can protect themselves and their students. And you know what, we can achieve this without trying to disarm law abiding citizens .”
In both her political and personal life, Boebert has made being pro-gun a priority. She runs the Shooters Grill restaurant in Colorado, where the wait staff openly carries guns while on duty, and she previously produced a Christmas card with her four children posing with guns.
We’ve reached out to Boebert for more information.
Image Credit: Getty
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