Lauren Boebert, a new Republican Colorado representative replied to a wave of criticism over her weapons storage that was seen in the background of her Zoom during a virtual meeting of the House Natural Resources Committee.
During the coordinating meeting of the committee over Zoom, the Republican seemed to have several weapons on a bookshelf behind her, including rifles and a pistol.
“Who says this is storage? These are ready for use,” Boebert posted on Twitter Thursday.
When one of the users jokingly noted that there were "not enough" weapons in the background, to which Boebert responded that some weapons "were lost in a terrible boating accident".
Boebert has become a target for politicians, journalists, and social media users who have mocked her collection of guns.
Nonetheless, some social media users supported Boebert, noting that she should not be shy about storing her weapons on a bookshelf.
Boebert has faced backlash regarding her position on firearms after she released an ad last month stating she will be carrying her personal weapon in Congress. In late December, advocates of gun restrictions called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to block lawmakers from carrying guns on Capitol Hill. Similar calls emerged again following the Capitol breach on January 6.
"Government does NOT get to tell me or my constituents how we are allowed to keep our families safe. I promise to always stand strong for our 2nd Amendment rights", Boebert tweeted.
The set of rules for the 117th Congress issued a couple of days later showed that the permit remained in place.
According to the 1967 Capitol Police Board regulations, lawmakers who possess Washington licenses are allowed to carry weapons "within the confines of [their] office" and "within Capitol grounds", if the firearms are "unloaded and securely wrapped".