Boebert Trails by 2,500 Votes as Laubacher Stays Silent on Guns
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., trails Democrat Eileen Laubacher by roughly 2,500 votes in Colorado's 4th Congressional District. As of Thursday morning, about 350,000 ballots had been counted, which the latest estimate puts at about 93 percent of votes cast. The race is too close to call. Boebert, one of the House's most visible Second Amendment defenders, now faces a real chance of losing a seat her party expected to hold easily. The unusual part for gun owners is the silence. Laubacher's campaign has not mentioned firearms, and nothing on her website addresses gun policy. Voters are left to guess where she stands on a right that touches daily life across much of this rural district.
Key Details
The numbers and facts in the race are straightforward:
- Current count: Boebert trails by about 2,500 votes out of nearly 350,000 counted.
- Counting progress: The latest estimate says about 93 percent of total votes cast have been tallied.
- Boebert's last margin: Bearing Arms reports she won by more than 11 points two years ago, after moving into the district.
- Laubacher's gun record: Her campaign website does not mention the Second Amendment or gun control. No major gun-control organization has endorsed her.
- Indirect signal: Her media kit attacks Libertarian candidate Douglas Mangeris as too conservative for Colorado voters. The source reads that attack as a hint that she backs state gun restrictions.
- Stated positions: The media kit backs congressional term limits and cuts to politicians' pay. It says nothing about firearms.
- Restrictions in question: Colorado now requires a permit to purchase most centerfire semi-automatic long guns. It also limits large-capacity magazines, imposes a mandatory three-day waiting period on all firearm transfers, and runs an expansive red flag law that lets institutions as well as individuals petition for Extreme Risk Protection Orders.
- House math: Bearing Arms notes that a Democratic House majority would make Laubacher a single vote, not the deciding one, on any gun bill.
Background
Boebert first won her seat in Colorado's 3rd District in 2020. She moved to the 4th District for the 2022 cycle, when the district's lines and voter base shifted. Her record on guns runs through that tenure, including votes and public fights against federal gun measures. Colorado's own gun laws have expanded for more than a decade. In 2013, Democrats in Denver passed universal background checks and a 15-round magazine limit, a move that triggered a recall of two state senators. In 2019, the state adopted its red flag law. In 2025, lawmakers approved the permit-to-purchase requirement for semi-automatic centerfire rifles, which is set to take effect in 2026. Those state laws shape how gun owners in the 4th District buy, store and carry. A new congressional representative does not change any of them directly. A federal bill could. That is why Laubacher's silence matters: a federal registry or a national magazine ban would reach every gun owner in the district, not only Colorado residents.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
The 4th District covers a large swath of rural Colorado, where hunting, ranching and home defense are normal parts of life. Gun owners there already live under the state's permit-to-purchase rules, waiting periods and red flag process. If Boebert loses, the district will have a representative whose position on federal firearm legislation is unknown. If you own a semi-automatic centerfire rifle in the 4th District, read the permit requirements before you buy or transfer one. Check whether any firearm you plan to sell or gift requires a waiting period. Watch how your county clerk handles the remaining ballots, since rural counties often report late. Mail-in ballots that arrive after the count is posted can still change the outcome. Confirm your voter registration and address with the Colorado Secretary of State before the next election. Do not accept a candidate's silence on the Second Amendment as a neutral position. Silence on a constitutional right is itself a position, and it should be treated as one.
DownRange Analysis
Under New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Second Amendment question is one of text and historical tradition. Courts, not the House, will decide whether Colorado's permit-to-purchase scheme or its magazine limit survives that test. Still, the people who write and vote on federal gun law shape what courts will be asked to review. A representative who has never stated a view leaves gun owners with no record to measure. Boebert's record is public, and voters can judge it. Laubacher's is not. The market will react only if federal legislation moves. Until then, the practical move is to plan around Colorado's current rules and watch the House. Ask every candidate for a written answer on the Second Amendment. If a candidate will not give one, assume the answer would not help you.
