VoteVets, a progressive advocacy organization that supports the interests of veterans, is among those lately speaking out against the pro-gun rhetoric from certain corners of the Republican Party, which has continued after a recent mass shooting in Maine in which 18 people were reportedly killed, with more injured.
The shooter was not apprehended that evening and remained evidently on the run for days following, forcing safety precautions in local communities — none of which stopped Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). “I’m not going to be lectured about gun safety by people who think the “AR” in AR-15 stands for “assault rifle,”” she complained online Friday. VoteVets replied as follows: “We know a thing or two about gun safety, that’s how we know weapons of war don’t belong on our streets. If you’d like to use one, your local recruiting office in Colorado would be happy to have a conversation.” This was all on X (formerly known as Twitter).
In news more constructive for those concerned with doing something, another public official — local Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) — came out in support of a ban on assault weapons in the wake of the Maine violence. Golden was in the minority among House Dems that’d previously not supported taking such action. When Dems last led the chamber, the House actually passed a ban on what are generally known as assault weapons, but with obstacles like the filibuster rules in the Senate that Democratic or Democratic Party-aligned members including Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema ensured wouldn’t be changed for the near future, that push from the House didn’t become law.
Both Manchin and Sinema could be out of office in 2025, with the two facing voters in 2024. Boebert will also be on the ballot next year, and potential Democratic opponent Adam Frisch far outpaced her in campaign fundraising in the most recent quarter of this year, which ended at the close of October.
We know a thing or two about gun safety, that’s how we know weapons of war don’t belong on our streets.
If you’d like to use one, your local recruiting office in Colorado would be happy to have a conversation. https://t.co/UDXyAdb3ec
— VoteVets (@votevets) October 27, 2023
