Rep. Ken Buck Causes Controversy After Bringing AR-15 Rifle To Capitol Hill

DENVER (CBS4) - Republican congressmen are no strangers to fighting for gun rights, but did a Colorado representative break the law by bringing his AR-15 to a Capitol Hill office?

Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado is causing controversy after tweeting a photo of himself and South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy holding an AR-15 rifle on Capitol Hill.

The assault weapon is illegal in Washington, D.C. Members of Congress are legally entitled to carry guns with them in Capitol Hill offices, but transporting an AR-15 through Washington, D.C., may be a different story.

Buck told The Washington Post that he checked with officials prior to bringing the rifle into his office.

"I went to Capitol Hill police; I got permission to bring it into my office. They went to the D.C. police; they got permission for me to transport it into the District. I went to TSA, and followed all of the regulations in getting it onto the plane and getting it here," Buck told The Post.

Buck says the rifle was not loaded and was secured with a trigger lock prior to bringing it from Colorado to D.C. Gowdy stands behind his fellow congressman, saying he never thought it would become an issue.

"He did everything that you're supposed to do to get permission," Gowdy said.

The Firearms Owners' Protection Act may also defend the legality of Buck's actions, which states that gun owners can transport across state lines from one place where it is legal to another as long as it is securely carried.

"Putting a trigger lock on an inoperable gun is like putting a chastity belt on a eunuch," Buck told The Post. "The only dangerous thing about that gun is if someone took it off the wall and hit somebody else over the head with it."

In:
• Capitol Hill