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A Colorado state representative accidentally left a loaded gun in the Capitol building in Denver after a debate on concealed handgun permits.

Rep. Jared Wright left the weapon in a canvas bag under the table where lawmakers sit, he and his colleagues told The Denver Post on Wednesday.

Wright, a first-term Republican from Fruita, told the newspaper he often carries a weapon on the floor and is entitled to do so as a peace officer. He served four years with the Fruita Police Department.

"I feel it's my duty to be a first responder wherever I am at," said Wright. "That's why I carry it."

It was found by Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Democrat from Longmont who sits next to Wright on the floor. "I just immediately notified the Sergeant at Arms and soon we realized it was Jared's bag," Singer said.

Wright was contacted by Gov. John Hickenlooper and has "agreed to be more careful" and to stop carrying the gun inside the building.