A member of Congress who wielded a pistol suddenly triggered a metal detector installed on the United States Capitol – and refused to allow police officers to examine his purse.
Freshman MP Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) was denied entry to the House of Representatives after the Tuesday night incident, the Denver Post said.
Boebert was later seen entering the chamber to vote, but it was unclear whether she still carried her purse, the report said.
Boebert, a fierce advocate for arms rights, later tweeted, “I am legally authorized to carry my firearm in Washington, DC and within the Capitol complex.”
Boebert also said that the metal detectors installed at the entrances to the Chamber on Tuesday “would not have stopped the violence we saw last week” when supporters of President Trump invaded the Capitol.
She called the additional security measure “just another political maneuver” by Mayor Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon announcing the new metal detectors, acting weapons sergeant Timothy Blodgett reminded lawmakers that firearms are prohibited inside the chamber.
“Failure to perform screening or carry prohibited items may result in denial of access to the Chamber,” he added.
Blodgett was sworn in on Monday to replace Paul Irving, who resigned as a weapons sergeant in the House after the January 6 deadly siege of the Capitol.