April 21, 2015 09:42 AM UTC

BREAKING: D.C. Attorney General Investigating Ken Buck's Assault Weapon

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• by: Colorado Pols

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.