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Lauren Boebert sends fundraising email saying ‘hell no’ to gun control after mass shooting in her state

‘Please help me stand up to the radical gun-grabbing left,’ representative’s email reportedly reads

James Crump
Tuesday 23 March 2021 14:04 GMT
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Lauren Boebert backs gun rights with false story about man being beaten to death

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Republican representative Lauren Boebert reportedly sent a fundraising email encouraging supporters to say “Hell No” to gun control just two hours after a deadly mass shooting in her home state of Colorado.

Ten people, including a police officer, were killed on Monday afternoon when a man opened fire inside a King Soopers supermarket in the city of Boulder, Colorado, in what was the latest of several high-profile mass shootings in the state over the past 25 years.

A suspect, shirtless and covered in blood, was taken into custody by Boulder Police 30 minutes after the shooting began, as local officials paid tribute to the fatally shot officer and the nine other victims in the hours that followed.

However, Ms Boebert, who faced criticism last year when she claimed that she would carry her personal firearm with her to Congress, sent a fundraising email related to gun control just two hours after the mass shooting occurred, according to freelance journalist David Gura.

“I told Beto ‘HELL NO’ to taking our guns. Now we need to tell Joe Biden,” Ms Boebert said in the subject line of the email, according to screenshots posted to Twitter by the journalist.

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“Radical liberals in Washington, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and with President Biden’s blessing and support are trying to violate your due process and criminalise the private transfer of firearms,” Ms Boebert wrote in the body of the email, adding: “Please help me stand up to the radical gun-grabbing left.”

Ms Boebert is a staunch defender of Second Amendment rights and is the founder of the Colorado-based restaurant Shooters Grill that allows employees to “proudly open carry as they serve their customers.”

She also caused outrage in January when she positioned several guns behind her head during a remote meeting of the House Natural Resources Committee.

The guns, including pistols and military-style rifles, were placed on a shelf behind her so that the weapons would be clearly visible during the virtual meeting.

Ms Boebert’s email was not her only communication that caused outrage following the mass shooting on Monday, as she tweeted about President Joe Biden’s “lid” as dozens of police rushed to the shooting at the Colorado supermarket.

“The White House just called a lid at 1.13 pm today. Biden is back in the basement, figuratively at least,” Ms Boebert tweeted while the tragic incident unfolded.

“Meanwhile, the country is in chaos and the border is coming apart at the seams,” she added.

Following a backlash, the Colorado representative did later comment on the events in her state on Monday, tweeting: “My prayers are with the shoppers, employees, first responders & others affected by the shooting in Boulder.”

Ms Boebert added: “May God be with them. While we are still awaiting important information and details in this case, random public shootings & senseless acts of violence are never ok.”

The Independent has contacted Ms Boebert’s office for comment.

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