Lauren Boebert Says 'Gun Control Is Anti-Woman'

Representative Lauren Boebert has said that gun control measures are "anti-woman" and criticized Democrat-led cities as the debate about firearms in the U.S. draws renewed focus.

Boebert, a Republican who represents Colorado's 3rd congressional district, made the comments on Twitter just hours before a deadly shooting in Orange, California where four people were killed, including a child.

"The Left's gun control agenda will affect America's women more than anyone else," Boebert said. "I'm a five foot tall, 100 pound woman. The only way I'm safe to walk around any dangerous liberal city is with an equalizer. Gun control is anti-woman," she said.

Boebert was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and quickly made a name for herself through a series of controversial statements, including saying she would carry a gun into Congress.

Gun control has been back on the political agenda in recent weeks following a series of mass shootings. In addition to the deaths in the California shooting, a woman and the suspect were injured and taken to hospital in critical condition.

Another shooting occurred in Boebert's home state of Colorado on March 22 when 10 people were killed at a supermarket in Boulder. The suspect in that case, 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, has been charged with 10 counts of murder.

Eight people were killed in a shooting at spas in Atlanta, Georgia on March 16. Of these, six were women of Asian descent. The killings were widely viewed in the context of anti-Asian hate crime.

Two pieces of gun control legislation have already passed the House with limited bipartisan support. Eight Republicans backed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, which would close most loopholes on gun sales and expand background checks for firearms purchases and transfers.

The Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 enjoyed less GOP support, with just two Republicans voting in favor of it. The bill aims to close the so-called "Charleston Loophole" that allows some licensed gun sales to be processed before a background check is completed.

Both bills run the risk of failing in the evenly divided Senate where Republicans have already expressed opposition to the legislation. However, there is some possibility of a background checks bill winning GOP approval.

Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) had previously sponsored background checks legislation with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). Toomey said on March 28 that it should be more difficult for dangerous people to get firearms.

"If I have four or five guns and I buy two more, did America become a more dangerous place? I don't think so. I'm not a dangerous person. My focus has always been, make it more difficult for people that we all agree shouldn't have firearms, make it more difficult for them to get firearms—that is violent criminals, the dangerously mentally ill," Toomey said.