A Colorado lawmaker apologized Thursday for leaving a firearm unattended in a bathroom on the State Capitol this week.
Republican state Rep. Don Wilson left a loaded 9 mm Glock handgun on a shelf in a single-occupancy bathroom round 9 p.m. native time Tuesday, the Colorado State Patrol stated in a news free up. The Capitol was once closed to the general public at 7 p.m. that night time.
State Patrol officers stated safety video confirmed the gun was once left unattended for about 20 mins ahead of it was once discovered via the janitorial body of workers and safely saved. Wilson contacted state soldiers about an hour later, they usually returned the gun to him.
“I want to be clear that I take full and complete accountability for the incident. I made a mistake and am very sorry,” Wilson stated in a statement Thursday. “I take firearm safety very seriously. This is a humbling experience and I will reaffirm my commitment to responsible handling procedures.”
Colorado State Police stated that when an investigation it was once decided that Wilson had no longer violated any state regulations.
“Individuals with Capitol credentials and access are permitted to carry a firearm inside the secure areas in compliance with Colorado gun laws,” state police stated.
Democratic House Speaker Julie McCluskie, admonished Wilson, pronouncing in a remark “this incident created a dangerous situation.”
She added that Democrats are pursuing law to ban wearing firearms in the Capitol.
A measure that will restrict firearms in delicate areas, together with positive govt structures, was once offered in February.
Senate President Steve Fenberg, a Democrat who helps the measure, stated, “A Republican lawmaker recklessly leaving a loaded gun in a public bathroom only demonstrates the very need for gun safety policies like the ones Democrats are fighting for.”
Similar efforts have fallen quick in Congress.
The House Natural Resources Committee closing yr rejected a Democratic modification to prohibit firearms from the committee’s listening to room after the Republican-controlled Rules Committee got rid of a provision put in position via Democrats that had barred firearms in committees and listening to rooms.
The incident Tuesday was once no longer the primary time a gun has been mishandled in the Colorado State Capitol.
State Rep. Richard Holtorf, who’s operating for Congress in the 4th Congressional District, dropped his gun out of doors the House chamber whilst he was once headed to a vote in 2022, The Denver Post reported.