In the past week, anti-Second Amendment politicians returned to Denver and stayed up all hours of the night to pass their extreme gun control agenda that expands Colorado’s “red flag” gun confiscations, denies Second Amendment rights to young adults, seeks to bankrupt the firearms industry, and requires a 3-day waiting period between firearm purchases and possession. Despite the all night Republican filibuster, the hundreds of concerned citizens who showed up to testify against the bills in person and online, and the thousands of requests lawmakers received to oppose the anti-2A bills, they still passed more legislation to satisfy their gun-banning base. Please contact Colorado lawmakers NOW and ask them to OPPOSE ALL anti-gun bills that would place further burdens on law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen!
Passed the Senate and sent to the House:
Senate Bill 23-170 expands Colorado’s “red flag” gun confiscation scheme by allowing the designation of additional individuals as “qualified” to accuse people of potentially acting out in dangerous and unlawful ways in the future, and for authorities to confiscate their firearms to prevent these supposed actions from happening. Second Amendment rights are taken away based on mere speculation and hearsay evidence. “Red Flag” orders, or Emergency Risk Protection Orders, are designed to empower the government to confiscate Americans’ firearms without due process of law. They violate citizens' rights, without due process.
Senate Bill 23-169 denies Second Amendment rights to young adults aged 18-20 by prohibiting them from purchasing firearms. Adults who are old enough to vote, join the military without parent permission, and enter into contracts should also have their Second Amendment rights. This is an unnecessary restriction on personal freedom and choice. Such restrictions will not stop criminals from stealing firearms, getting them on the black market, or getting them from straw purchasers; they only infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
Senate Bill 23-168 holds gun industry members liable for third-party criminal acts, by “knowingly or recklessly creating, maintaining, or contributing to a public nuisance.” It is possible a gun sold lawfully could later fall into a criminal’s hands, whether through theft, secondary transfer, or some other circumstance wholly beyond a manufacturer’s or dealer’s control. If industry members are potentially liable for every such occasion, it will make it impossible for businesses necessary to the exercise of the Second Amendment to exist in Colorado.
Passed the House and sent to the Senate:
House Bill 23-1219 imposes an arbitrary three-day delay on gun owners taking possession of their firearms and makes this delay longer or indefinite if authorities fail to complete a background check during that time. Criminals will not be affected by waiting periods. Most state inmates who were in possession of a firearm at the time of their arrest obtained the firearm through an illegal source or from a friend or family member. Proponents of the waiting period claim it is a “cooling off period” that supposedly gives the prospective buyer time to reconsider their intentions and protect against impulsive actions. This argument has no logical basis. Two-thirds of gun owners own more than one gun. A cooling-off period for these gun owners could not possibly have an effect, as they already own other firearms. Also, HB 23-1219 allows inefficiencies or failures by state bureaucrats to indefinitely delay Second Amendment rights.
This has never been about public safety. This is purely about politics, and the anti-gun majority simply wants to pass more bills to satisfy their gun-banning base. Please continue to follow these NRA-ILA alerts for the latest developments and updates.
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