Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert prayed for the victims of Wednesday night’s tragic shooting in Maine, but she botched the name of the city.
The Associated Press reports that at least 18 people were murdered and 13 more were injured when a shooter opened fire at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston. The shooter, later identified as 40-year-old firearms instructor Robert Card, is still at large.
On Wednesday night, Boebert addressed the shooting on X, writing, “Sending thoughts to Lewistown, Maine tonight.” The congresswoman’s tweet contained an error; Lewistown should have been typed “Lewiston.”
Social media users, however, were more upset about Boebert’s apparent insincerity than they were about the rising gun violence in the United States and her clear support for gun rights.
Molly Ploofkins, an X user, posted “Sthu, Lauren” under a photo of Boebert and her four sons at Christmas, all brandishing firearms.
Ashley Wilson, a constituent of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, wrote on X, “Enough with the thoughts and prayers. Do something to prevent gun violence, or we will elect someone that will.” Adam Frisch, a Democrat “trying to defeat Lauren Boebert,” was tagged in the post.
Others, however, defended the Second Amendment’s protection of gun ownership on social media. An X user, who only gives her X handle as “Lady Lady Heidi A.B.,” remarked, “Many prayers. For this and many other reasons, Our 2A is not up for discussion or debate.
A Boebert spokesperson said that the demand for stricter gun restrictions was a “knee-jerk reaction” that would “limit our capacity to defend ourselves” after the March 2021 mass shooting in Boulder.
In connection with the incident, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was charged with numerous offenses, the most serious of which were ten counts of first-degree murder.
For nearly a decade, from 2002 until 2022, Boebert maintained the Shooters Grill, a restaurant in her hometown of Rifle that encouraged its staff to bring firearms to work. The lawmaker claimed the landlord’s decision not to renew the restaurant’s lease was unrelated to politics.
