Republican representative Lauren Boebert rebuffed the idea of gun control after the deadly Uvalde school shooting with a bizarre justification: the 9/11 terror attacks did not lead to a ban on planes.
The Colorado representative, a staunch supporter of firearms, said children can be protected “without trying to disarm law-abiding citizens”. Ms Boebert fought the 2020 elections with a campaign fiercely attacking the movement to introduce greater gun control.
“When 9/11 happened, we didn’t ban planes,” Ms Boebert said on Fox News’ Hannity Special on Thursday. “We secured the cockpit.
“I want our schools secured, I want their children protected, and I want teachers that can protect themselves and their students,” she added. “And you know what? We can achieve this without trying to disarm law-abiding citizens.”
“For me, this [gun] is my equaliser,” she stated. “I need a way to protect myself and my children. And my firearm is my equaliser, my tool to do that.”
Ms Boebert was questioned over the divide in Congress after the Uvalde shooting, and she responded by saying her “heart mourns for what has happened”.
However, she went on to claim that the incident proves “gun-free zones are deadly”.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ms Boebert tweeted that lawmakers were powerless to stop mass shootings like Tuesday’s killing of 19 elementary school students in Uvalde. She wrote: “You cannot legislate away evil.”
This prompted a response from congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “Why even be in Congress if you don’t believe in doing your job? Just quit and let someone who actually gives a damn do it instead of acting like a useless piece of furniture when babies are shot with AR15s that we let teen boys impulse buy before they can legally have a beer.”
The Republican congresswoman retaliated by saying: “Ms Defund the Police, Gun Free Zones have proven to be deadly. Let me know when you’re ready to do your job and effectively protect our schools with armed security. Let’s meet and solve this.”
Ms Boebert, who had admitted to carrying a handgun and owning a restaurant where the staff openly carries firearms, has been calling for schools to arm teachers and increase armed security around schools for a while now.
Armed police are being criticised for their response to the Uvalde shooting, with videos showing desperate parents outside the elementary school during the attack, pleading with officers to storm the building.
The father of 10-year-old victim Jacklyn Cazares said he even suggested he could go in himself with other bystanders as he was frustrated police were not doing it themselves.
Details of the timeline remain unclear, including whether officers failed to prevent gunman Salvador Ramos from entering the school, and whether he “barricaded” himself inside a classroom before or after killing the fourth-grade children inside.
More than 210 mass shootings have taken place in the US, with 27 reported just in 2022.
