Rep. Jared Wright (wright54.com)

“In the moments after lawmakers and visitors cleared a committee room Feb. 6 following a debate on concealed handgun permits, Rep. Jonathan Singer found a black canvas bag under the table where lawmakers sit,” denverpost.com reports. “Inside, Singer discovered a loaded handgun that belonged to Rep. Jared Wright, R-Fruita, who sits next to him on the House Local Government committee. ‘I just immediately notified the Sergeant at Arms and soon we realized it was Jared’s bag,’ Singer, a Democrat from Longmont, said Wednesday.” Wait a moment. Isn’t the state capitol a gun-free zone? As any politician caught with his proverbial (or literal) pants down would say, I’m glad you asked me that question . . .

Wright, who is in his first term, told The Denver Post he often carries a concealed handgun inside the Capitol and under state statute has the right to do so as a peace officer. State law prohibits carrying a gun in the Capitol “without legal authority.” . . .

“I feel it’s my duty to be a first responder wherever I am at,” said Wright. “That’s why I carry it.”

Really? A retired police officer can carry in the State House? Show me the statute! Meanwhile, I’m not entirely comfortable with Wright’s suggesiton that he’s more of a “first responder” than any other legally armed civilian. Assuming he’s right about being able to carry in the legislative chamber. Worse, it looks like he kissed the ass of Colorado’s gun-grabber-in-chief to “put things right.”

Wright said he was contacted by Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office about the incident and after speaking with Colorado State Patrol and Roxane White, Hickenlooper’s chief of staff, he agreed to no longer carry it inside the building. A report was not filed.

I’m sorry. If he has the right to carry a gun in the State House then Fruita’s finest should have told Hickenlooper to kiss his ass. If not, Wright should be charged and prosecuted like any other civilian who breaks the rules about carrying a firearm into the legislative lion’s den.

All that said, on-body carry, people. Off-body carry is inherently irresponsible because of the inherent chance that the owner will lose control of his firearm. Hey, isn’t that a crime in Colorado?

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60 COMMENTS

  2. Yup! But the again we all know that our rulers are not subject to the same laws imposed upon the serfs.

    • If television’s “Law & Order” has taught us anything about the law, and I’m pretty sure it’s taught some people everything they think they know about the law, then can’t the authorities be compelled to prosecute via court order? Can’t somebody with legal standing file a writ of mandamus to force some action?

      I don’t care for one second that this guy is a Republican. Nor does it particularly matter that I think the law is stupid. The law is the law and we either enforce it or repeal it, but selective application won’t do.

      • I thought all Law and Order taught us is that the justice system is corrupt and the writers of L&O love to turn real life black criminals into Hollywood white criminals to support a politically correct agenda.

    • It’s gotten to the point that we need a Constitutional amendment which specifically states that politicians and government employees cannot be granted an exemption from any law.

      (Which would also kill gun control – no more carve outs for police to carry in places you can’t)

      • Rand Paul (R-KY) actually proposed just such an amendment a few months ago. Just google “Rand Paul Constitutional Amendment”, and get the word out! Predictably, it’s gotten almost no publicity, but if people know about it, they can demand that their representatives bring it to a vote and vote in favor. If we can bring it to a vote, I guarantee it will pass. Voting against such a bill would be political suicide. Get the word out, because congress sure as hell won’t!

      • I thought that’s what the 14th smendment’s Equal Protection Clause supposed to ensure. If carrying a firearm into that chamber is ohhh so dangerous that the firearms carrying public is debarred from the building, then where is the equal protection in allowing legislators to carry? What rational basis exists for allowing them to carry, but not the public? What legitimate state purpose is served in unequally applying the ban?

        Of course, all of this assumes there even is a specific statutory or regulatory carve out for legislators that I could rail against. There isn’t even that in this case! It’s just one guy doing whatever he wants, as an entitled member of the ruling class, and the Governor collecting a political chip for giving him a pass this time around. What kind of banana republic has Colorado degenerated into?

  4. Worse.

    “Hey Jared, come talk with me a moment. I’m gonna need your support on this bill I want passed. Do I need to remind you of that little favor I did for you back in February ’14?”

    • That already happens between legislators over each other’s drunk driving records, and dead hookers. Get with the times.

  5. I can never fully understand why someone finds someone else’s bag (one of his colleagues, mind you) and decides just to rifle through it to see what he can find. Privacy. It’s gone.

  7. “I feel it’s my duty to be a first responder wherever I am at,”
    … so I leave a loaded handgun in a committee room when I’m not there.
    Yup.
    Seems like every time we make a little progress, some moron like Jared Wright is there to give the gun-grabbers someone to ridicule and set us back a few years.

    • “I feel it’s my duty to be a first responder wherever I am at,”

      Jared? You want to help?

      DON’T help! (And brush up on your grammar while you’re at it.)

  10. It’s it nice to know that the harder our ‘elected’ ‘representatives’ fight to take guns out of our (civilian) hands, the more they suddenly seem to be getting caught with or outright flaunting their own? When you are disarmed by someone who is unarmed it shows people want to live in a world with no guns. When you are disarmed by people who turn out to also be arming themselves, it’s sinister, as if to say, “We just want everyone but US to have no guns, because then they might shoot back.”

    • The War on Drugs
      The War on Poverty
      The War on Guns
      The War on Terrorism
      The War on [name-your-favorite-cause-here]

      Are all simple emotional mind tricks politicians play. It has been 50yrs on the War on Poverty and yet we still have “poverty” It is all an emotional heart string tug they use to get elected, for you to be taxed more or take something away from you.

      Politicians either have to trick you to be scared (that is why we have the TSA and patriot act) or trick you into believing there is a benefit to you (Obamacare) — so that they can pass BS laws.

      Government is very rarely the answer. An elected official has two jobs: 1) tow the party line 2) get re-elected so that they tow the party line. Making your life or anyone else’s life better is hardly their objective.

      • Interestingly enough, if you look at the stats, poverty was in decline until the war on poverty started. Poverty rates have been flat ever since. But I guess if you solved the issue, who would you get votes from. Not that I think politicians could solve it.

  13. As bad as his method of carry is. He and everyone else should not have their rights infringed upon just because they are in the state capitol. can anyone look up this guys record is he a true gun rights supporter or does he just think he should be allowed to carry in the capitol and not anyone else?

  14. In the enclosed chambers with all those Democrats around, I’d wanna carry, too.

    You never know, and Democrats have a pretty good representation amongst mass shooters.

    • FLAME DELETED

      You will notice that he is getting criticized here. He is not getting a pass because of the (R) after his name.

      This is consistent.

      This is unlike a lot of progressive behavior, where sexual indiscretions are hand waved away – and worse – by the apologists in the MSM and on far-left Internet forums.

      Gun rights folks don’t give a pass based on party affiliation. Gun Rights transcend party.

      But I do thank you for TRYING to stir up agitation and divisiveness here among a bunch of folks with a very strong sense of common ground.

    • @ Shawn
      One thing I cannot fathom is why we people of the gun must be so perfect all of the time, every time, so doing anything “dumb” is simply verboten, yet the grabbers can lie, fabricate, mislead and act bad at every turn without any more than a “naughty-naughty” if that, which is quickly forgotten?

      Oh, that’s right; “Dems” own the press. And Dems act badly so often it’s expected of them.

      There’s a reputation to be proud of!

    • Anyone who directs an insult at another person and adds “-tard” to the end of it is simply executing the typical ad hominem attack. Juvenile at best. Ignore.

  17. “If he has the right to carry a gun in the State House then Fruita’s finest should have told Hickenlooper to kiss his ass. If not, Wright should be charged and prosecuted like any other civilian who breaks the rules about carrying a firearm into the legislative lion’s den.”

    This.

  18. Once again folks are not going deep enough.

    Why gun in bag. If on person cannot get through the metal detector. Elected rep no bag search.

    Why carry in bag. Fear that laws he passed are not effective. Double standard….check.

    Burn the son of a bitch.

  19. Worth pointing out that he was forced out of the Fruita PD for being a lazy liar. What do you do with an incompetent person? Make them a politician! He ran unopposed in a solid red district…sometimes the GOP shoots themselves in the foot.

    • And he has beady eyes, and a small pie hole, not to mention recessed beaver teeth and those brows…please turn them off…..and lacks any responsibility in securing his weapon.

    • Maybe to look for identification to determine the rightful owner?
      (Which he apparently found)

      Hey, I don’t like going through other people’s personal property either. But I have returned purses full of cash and credit cards to more than one woman who was grateful that I did.

  22. Bad Idea of the Week:

    Putting a loaded gun in a bag and leaving it unattended in a room containing 37 anti-gun Democrats.

    ******* Brilliant!!!

  23. Permit holders are exempt from the prohibition against carrying into legislative buildings. See: 18-12-105- 2(c)

    While you’re at it, download the Legal Heat app. 🙂

  24. I can tell ya that the federal LEOSA law specifically does not allow retired police to carry a firearm in such a place against local laws… so I suspect he was talking out his ass.

  26. Wright is a staunch proponent of firearms rights. Listen to the HB1224 (magazine capacity) hearings. This is not a case of “I’m special, you’re not”, it’s a case of “practice what you preach.”

  27. upon further examination I found out he is currently a Marshall for De Beque. So LEO laws apply. Still irresponsible, but every gun owner at one point or another has done something dumb, or irresponsible.

      • I asked him why he thought he had the right to carry on the capitol and he told me he was a Marshal for De Beque. He even showed me his De Beque Marshal card. It’s legit.

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