Why did Lauren Boebert throw away a pin honoring an Uvalde shooting victim?

Gun rights activist and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert threw away a pin honoring 10-year-old Maite Rodriguez who died at the Uvalde school shooting in May last year. The pin represented the green Converse shoes that the little girl was wearing when she was killed. Maite’s family was able to identify her body because of the shoes. Boebert was given the pin by a gun control advocate who was passing them out to members of Congress, and she tossed it into a trashcan soon after receiving it.

Boebert: I had AirPods in

In a video, Boebert apologized for what she called “the appearance” of disrespecting a child by throwing the memorial pin into the trash. She said she responded in the manner which she did because she was wearing AirPods and that she recognized the man who handed her the pin as someone who had acted aggressively towards her a few weeks before during a press conference.

“He was so aggressive that he was apprehended by another member and detained by Capitol Police officers,” she said. Boebert added that she was “very vocal” about the shooting when it took place. “I do what I do because I want to protect our children, I want to make sure they are safe and secure,” she said.

Activist contests Boebert’s version of events

However, the activist who gave Boebert the pin, Elijah Pelton, contradicted the legislator’s version of events. Pelton told The Independent that the representative was confusing him with another activist who confronted her several weeks ago. The memorial pins were being distributed along with a pamphlet on behalf of parents of the murdered children which is calling on members of Congress to reinstate the ban on assault weapons. Boebert co-chairs the Second Amendment Caucus, which is composed of representatives who support the right to own and bear ams.