Far-right congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado hasn't been secretive about her obsession with firearms.
Boebert owns Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, where servers are encouraged to open carry firearms. During her campaign, Boebert vowed to bring her glock with her into the halls of Congress (she didn't). Further into her term, she went viral for the slapdash display of guns serving as her Zoom background.
So it's no surprise that Boebert's one of the many Republicans who consider any regulation of firearms, or even studies on gun violence, to be a violation of the Second Amendment, claiming that firearms are necessary to rise up against a government with a $700+ billion defense budget if the need arises.
Boebert recently used a tragedy in Norway to bolster her case.
There, a man launched a bow and arrow attack that killed five senior citizens, the deadliest multi-homicide in the country in a decade.
Boebert took to Twitter to gloat that a mass casualty event occurred without a gun.
A man in Norway just killed a bunch of people with a bow and arrow.\n\nNorway has some of the strictest gun laws around, yet mass killings still occur.\n\nLiberals need to understand it is not the gun - it is the criminal who commits the act!— Lauren Boebert (@Lauren Boebert) 1634161082
Boebert absurdly claimed that a multi-homicide event occurring without a gun is proof that gun laws don't do anything to prevent mass murders. The Congresswoman said this in a country where Americans have access to automatic weapons, which are designed to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time.
What's more, there were 31 murders in Norway in 2020—the highest number for the country in seven years. For comparison, there were 12,891 murders from guns alonealonein the United States the same year.
Boebert's statement was completely idiotic, and people made sure to let her know.
I'd say that Lauren needs to understand the difference between 'once a decade' and 'a couple of times a week', and that easy access to guns also kills singly, and through accidents, and making suicide attempts more likely to be actual suicides. But Lauren knows that.https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1448402676329373697\u00a0\u2026— Simon HB (@Simon HB) 1634194981
You say what?!! It was a bow and arrow!And in regards to their strict gun laws, per 100,000 people, Noway-1.75 gun deaths The U.S. with more guns than people,and easy access,12.21. Not rocket science- it\u2019s the guns.https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1448402676329373697\u00a0\u2026— joan Kazerounian (@joan Kazerounian) 1634189417
Dumbest member of congress https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1448402676329373697\u00a0\u2026— MichaF \ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@MichaF \ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1634206534
Soon, people were bringing receipts.
2018 murders:\n\nNorway: 25\nUSA: 15,498\n\nStrict gun laws work.https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1448402676329373697\u00a0\u2026— Mark Elliott (@Mark Elliott) 1634227064
There were a total of 25 murders in Norway in 2018; in America, 16,214 people were murdered in 2018, mostly with guns. \n\nTry again\u2026https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1448402676329373697\u00a0\u2026— Shannon Watts (@Shannon Watts) 1634175097
Norway bow and arrow attack: 5 dead\n\nLas Vegas: 60 dead \n\nPulse Orlando: 49 dead\n\nSandy Hook: 27 dead\n\nEl Paso: 23 dead\n\nSan Diego: 21 dead \n\nParkland: 17 dead\n\nColumbine: 13 dead \n\nYour tweet: dead— Jamie Schler (@Jamie Schler) 1634200785
In Norway, 5 people were just killed by bow and arrow.\n\nIn Las Vegas, Stephen Paddock shot and killed 60, while another 411 were wounded by gunfire.\n\nBut sure, basically the same thing.https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1448402676329373697\u00a0\u2026— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen) 1634167239
Boebert is up for reelection next year.