Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert has once again stepped into controversy by releasing a new video demanding that Nancy Pelosi remove the protective fencing around the U.S. Capitol building that was erected after the January 6 insurrection attack. Considering the assault on the Capitol was the direct result of former President Donald Trump and other Republicans inciting right-wing violence by pushing the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen, Boebert doesn’t help her case by ending the video with audio of two gunshots and the sound of a shotgun reloading. Alluding to violence to demand the removal of fence built to stop right-wing violence is the kind of bizarre argument that only further cements Boebert’s reputation as “Sarah Palin 2.0.”
The video received swift condemnation from Boebert’s fellow Colorado congressman Jason Crow, who has voiced his concerns with the new brand of “depraved” GOP politicians like Boebert and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Via Mediaite:
“What we have seen over the last three years, and certainly on January 6th, is that words have consequences, especially if you’re an elected official. People listen to you and they act on what you say, and very real people are getting hurt and getting killed, because some people don’t understand that. That’s a leadership failure and we can’t tolerate it.”
Boebert’s video also faced backlash on social media for its tone-deaf gunfire:
Remember when you tweeted out Pelosi’s location to your fellow terrorists as they stormed the Capitol on 1/6?
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) March 8, 2021
You need medical help.
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) March 8, 2021
The gun-cocking sound at the end of this video is clearly a threat to the 2nd in line to the Presidency.
We still taking such threats seriously, @TwitterSafety @FBI?
— Jedi, Interrupted
(@JediCounselor) March 8, 2021
Why? So the insurrectionists you gave tours to on Jan 5, who would’ve killed her if they had found her on Jan 6, can try again?
— Brian Chovanec (@Brian_Chovanec) March 8, 2021
Madam Speaker, tear down this wall!
I want do to more insurrection and it’s getting in my way.
Lauren Boebert, probably
— CANCELtheGOP (@CANCELtheGOP) March 8, 2021
On top of the Pelosi video, Boebert’s obsession with guns shot her the foot a second time this week. While speaking on the floor of the House on Wednesday, Boebert recounted the tale of a man who “died in a fight” outside of her restaurant. According to Boebert, the man would still be alive if he armed himself, which prompted her and her employees to start carrying while at work. It’s a story she’s told before in an effort to promote gun rights, but there’s just one small problem: The man died of an overdose.
According to the Washington Post, the subject of Boebert’s anecdote, Anthony Green, was in a minor “scuffle” where Green actually attacked another man who had a prosthetic leg. A third party stepped in, and Green fled only to be found dead the next morning. While his death was initially investigated as a homicide, the autopsy report revealed that Green had suffered only a small gash from the bar fight and died of “methamphetamine intoxication.” Contrary to Boebert’s claim, carrying a gun would have done nothing to prevent that outcome.