DENVER — A gun control group said Thursday that it is “inexcusable” that a state legislator left a loaded gun in a bag at a committee hearing at the Colorado state capitol.

Republican state Rep. Jared Wright of Fruita left the gun behind in his bag after a Feb. 6 committee debate on concealed handgun permits, reported the Denver Post.

Wright told the newspaper that he often carries a concealed gun at the capitol and that he’s allowed to do so as a peace officer. Wright served in the Fruita Police Department from 2007 to 2011.

State law prohibits guns at the capitol “without legal authority.”

The group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense criticized Wright saying “It is inexcusable.”

“The sad irony here is that Rep. Wright sponsored legislation to expand concealed carry rights to gun owners without permits.  We shudder to think of this reality as we see the example of ‘responsible gun ownership’ that Rep Wright has displayed,” said State Leader Jennifer Hope in a statement.

“Rep. Wright claims he carries his weapon because it is his ‘duty to be a first responder.’ To that we ask, how can someone respond to an emergency situation when they can’t even locate their weapon? The sad irony here is that Rep. Wright sponsored legislation to expand concealed carry rights to gun owners without permits.  We shudder to think of this reality as we see the example of ‘responsible gun ownership’ that Rep Wright has displayed.”

Wright told the Denver Post that he spoke with Gov. John Hickenlooper about the incident and agreed not to carry the gun inside the capitol anymore.

Last year the Durango Herald wrote about legislators carrying guns at the capitol as “something that legislators know about but rarely talk about.”