UPDATE #3: The Denver Post updates, authorities in D.C. wash their proverbial hands:
Tuesday, the U.S. Capitol Police, which are responsible for protecting Congress, said everything was OK. Same goes for D.C. authorities, who wrote Tuesday afternoon that Capitol Police were handling the matter.
That’s a slight change from midday Tuesday, when it appeared as if D.C. authorities might investigate the gun and the photo. [Pols emphasis] A spokesman with the Office of the Attorney General in D.C. said the matter had been referred to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ken Buck is doing what politicians do best with any controversy–fundraising!
The Second Amendment exists to protect your God-given right to bear arms. The actions by Anti-Gun Liberals against Trey Gowdy and me are just another attempt to strip us of our rights. Donate here today to help strengthen our fight against anti-gun activists.
It’s good to be a lawmaker. Original post follows.
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UPDATE #2: The Denver Post’s Mark Matthews:
The post soon attracted the attention of the liberal blog Colorado Pols, which raised the question of whether Buck was showcasing an illegal assault weapon in his Capitol Hill office. At issue was whether Buck was in violation of the strict gun laws of Washington D.C — which prohibit assault weapons that include the AR-15…
A spokesman with the Office of the Attorney General in Washington said the matter was referred to the Metropolitan Police Department. A call and email to D.C. police were not immediately returned with comment.
“We have received several inquiries about the situation and have referred them and all relevant information to the Metropolitan Police Department for investigation,” said Robert Marus, spokesman for the D.C. attorney general. [Pols emphasis]
Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?
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UPDATE: The Hill adds an update that’s not good for Ken Buck:
The spokesman for the D.C. Attorney General Office reiterated that AR-15s are prohibited in the city.
“It is illegal to possess an AR-15 in the District,” the spokesman said. [Pols emphasis]
Note the absence of the words “unless you’re a Republican.” Developing…
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The Hill’s Tim Devaney reports, but you read it here first:
Two Republican congressmen who posed for a picture with an assault rifle are coming under scrutiny from the District of Columbia’s attorney general office.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) last week tweeted a picture of himself and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), the leader of the House GOP’s Benghazi investigation, holding an AR-15…
Having the AR-15 in the Cannon House Office Building could be a violation of the District’s strict gun laws, and the Washington, D.C., attorney general’s office is “looking into the matter,” a spokesman told The Hill.
According to The Hill, Rep. Ken Buck claims he obtained permission from the U.S. Capitol Police to display his very real AR-15 assault rifle in his office in the Cannon House Office Building. Our understanding is that may not wash with the D.C. attorney general, however, even if the bolt carrier assembly for the weapon has been removed as Buck claims. For one thing, firearms law is specific that the “lower receiver” section of a gun is what counts legally, and that’s still present. And regardless of what other parts are present, the 30-round magazine attached to the rifle is illegal in D.C. without exception.
It’s not like pushing the boundaries of gun laws is unheard of among gun-happy Republican lawmakers. Here in Colorado, an unknown but significant number of state legislators take advantage of an obscure loophole in the law to carry concealed weapons in the state capitol building–a building where everyone else has to check their iron and pass through metal detectors.
In this case, we suspect Buck may have pushed the boundaries a bit too far. Stay tuned for updates.
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I’m gonna say it again, giving Brophy your Twitter passwords and the keys to the wine cabinet may not be such a great idea???
OTOH, getting to play the “victim” is what today’s GOPers and RMGOPers live for. High fives in the Buckles camp, Booyah!!
So is our little watermelon farmer going to take one for the team if the AG presses charges?
It’d be his greatest accomplishment, falling on his own Crimson Sweet for the boss!
This means we’re going to keep seeing Gowdy’s hair, doesn’t it?
Take THAT, Vinnie Delpino and Boz Scaggs! Ammosexual criminals are the worst.
“We don’t need more gun laws — we just need to enforce existing gun laws.” So, enforce away!
In case anyone is missing modster… Grasping at straws! Why do libs hate freedom? Benghazi!
These God-fearing patriots are innocent victims of ruthless Obummer big gummint socialistic persecution! Because freedom!
C’mon DC AG, what are our Neanderthal legislators supposed to hold in their quivering hands when they pose for Twitter pics ?? . . .
. . . spears ??
. . . bananas ??
. . . lemurs ??
. . . pictures of their junk they can’t legally display in DC ??
Whatever happened to freedumb, and the right to bare ???
Let me get this straight. So when Ken Buck was Weld County District Attorney if a criminal suspect told him the local police, Weld County Sheriff or the State Patrol gave him/her permission to do something in violation of the criminal statutes, he wouldn’t prosecute them. I’m glad that has been clarified.
By the way, I didn’t know the U.S. Capitol Police have the authority to waive the criminal laws governing Washington, DC.
US Capitol Police are the exclusive law enforcement agency within the US Capitol building. They are responsible directly to Congress, and are Federal law enforcement officers. As far as I know, the area of the Capitol grounds is still under District of Columbia law, so the DC Attorney General’s office is free to prosecute given enough evidence (e.g. a self-inflicted ammosexual Twitter pic).
Gowdy and Buck are best off claiming that this was done in the line of their Congressional duty, but I’m not sure that “taking Twitter selfies” would qualify before a judge.
The legislative privilege is pretty broad, although at the state level, IIRC it did not protect Laura Bradford from drinking w/ the lobbyists and then driving. I’m guessing they can argue they were simply using their gun as a demonstrative exhibit in sparking a discussion of gun control and the Second Amendment.
Besides, nobody is going to arrest the chief Benghazi investigator who will bring us the truth about Benghazi. Yet again……
Don’t be such a Debbie Downer. We can dream, can’t we?
Last I checked, we still don’t have teleporters, so somebody had to drive that piece across town, eh?
Maybe it’s time to throw “un-named rogue staffer” under the bus.
Isn’t the far bigger issue for Buck, politically, that little BLUE trigger lock on that AR-15? Why, that’s librul gun control, ain’t it? Guessing he can kiss goodbye to any support from Dudley and the RMGO for that little lapse in (sensible) judgment!
+2(nd Amendment)
Meh. Dudley was already apoplectic that those two RINOs were so proudly fondling a freedom-rifle with a magazine that only holds an “arbitrary” 30 rounds!
Not to mention flag desecration. The horror!
And that tie! And Gowdy’s haircut!
And with the creepy leer on his face, he looks like he is having “thoughts”.
Sad news for everyone but modster who would probably say “I told you so, freedom hating libs. Benghazi!” Apparently no laws were broken because, as with so many other rules and regs, IOKIYAC (It’s OK if you’re a congressman).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/21/ken-buck-ar-15-photo_n_7111134.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
Just a pair o’ shit-eating grin frat boys, that’s all. Truth is they’d get kicked off most campuses for pulling a fraternity prank like this, and might get their chapter shut down. Guess you’re right, BueCat: IOKIYAC. Gonna have to remember that on.