A female gun owner confronted Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke on Thursday about his gun confiscation proposal, telling him she was there to say, "Hell no, you're not."
Lauren Boebert, a mother of four and restaurant owner, told O'Rourke she drove down to Aurora from Rifle, Colo., to let him know she was one of the "gun-owning Americans" who heard his comment during last week's presidential debate about confiscating AR-15s, the most popular rifle in America.
She said, "Hell no, you're not," prompting the crowd to push back and say, "Yes, he is."
A woman confronts Beto O’Rourke over his claims that he is going to confiscate people’s guns
She tells him 'Hell no!"
O’Rourke’s supporters were so rude to the woman that O’Rourke repeatedly has to tell them to knock it off pic.twitter.com/LD9ORGJHHT
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) September 20, 2019
"I would like to know how you intend to legislate evil because it is not the gun, it is the heart of the man that does that. We all have stories. Excuse me," Boebert said, as the crowd started to yell over her.
"Let's allow her to finish. Please, please, please, please," O'Rourke said.
"We all have these stories. We all have the experiences. I was living in Aurora during Columbine. I had just recently moved when the Aurora shootings happened. Yet I have very close ties here. Yet all of those people were there defenseless. They had no way to defend themselves against a crazed shooter, so I want to know how you intend to legislate the hearts of men and leave American citizens like myself, American mothers," Boebert said. "I have four children. I'm 5 foot zero, one hundred pounds, cannot really defend myself with a fist."
As people started yelling over her, O'Rourke said, "It's okay. Please let's allow her to finish." It is unclear what someone said to Boebert after that, but she told the man beside her she didn't have her AR-15 with her, but informed him she was carrying a Glock.
"Well, you shouldn't have that," the man said.
"Don't worry, sir, I have your back," Boebert said.
She then took a jab at O'Rourke for his "criminal history," specifically his burglary charge, which was later dropped.
"We all know that you, sir, have a criminal history and I understand that burglars do not like armed defense. Burglars do not like armed defense yet that is a right that we have that shall not be infringed in America," Boebert said.
A man near Boebert called her a "bootlicker" and another person accused her of "grandstanding" near the end of her comments.
Boebert and her husband have owned Shooters Grill, a gun-friendly restaurant in Rifle, Colo., since 2013. About a month after the opening of the restaurant, a man was beaten to death in the alley by the restaurant, which she said, "shook" her up.
"He lost his life that night, and it kinda shook me up. I was there alone a lot and I thought, ‘what am I gonna do, what am I gonna do if something happens, what if somebody comes in here, my husband isn’t here to protect me, I’m all alone,’ and really, that’s what got me to open-carry," she said.
Shortly after she started to openly carry, some of her waitstaff requested the opportunity to do the same. This move led to a sign being put up welcoming firearms on the premises by customers, according to the Denver Post.
"We’ve become a voice for the Second Amendment, and it’s a voice I’m proud to have," Boebert said. "There are so many voices darkening the Second Amendment, and I’m proud to be a part of those standing and taking their place and saying, ‘No, we rightfully own our firearms and we’re responsible with them.’"