The state legislative session just started this week. It is already apparent that Republicans are aiming to repeal the unpopular gun control bills and expand gun rights:
- House Bill (HB) 15-1009 would repeal the magazine ban
- HB 15-1049 would extend the “castle doctrine†to include businesses
- HB 15-1050 would repeal the expanded background check and fees
- Senate Bill 15-032 would allow concealed carry without a permit
Will any of these bills make it through the legislature and onto Democrat Gov. Hickenlooper’s desk? Would he sign them? He already told a meeting of Colorado sheriffs last year that he hadn’t really read the earlier bills and that it was a mistake to sign them. It would be a great opportunity to see if there was any truth behind his words.
Read the whole thing. Things sound very promising. It would be a tremendous rebuke to Bloomberg to bring Colorado back from the brink of being an anti-gun state, and to do it with Hickenlooper’s signature. In fact, it would be the first time, I can recall, a state would have repealed laws such as this. Every other state that’s started going down Colorado’s path has only gotten worst over time. Once the scales tip, there’s usually no going back.
Colorado has a strong libertarian streak compared to many other states. Unfortunately, the Colorado GOP has been largely unable to jettison the parts of its coalition which are a severe liability to it. Let’s hope we can bring Colorado back and keep it back.
I think it’s pretty clear Hickenlooper positioned himself so he could sign a bill repealing — didn’t commit himself, but at least left the door open depending on how he thinks the political winds are blowing.
I think you have hit the problem on the head in Colorado and identified why we’re a light blue state. There are a lot of libertarians here, but also a lot of socially conservative republicans. I don’t know where that’s going to go.
We also used to have quite a few Democrats who would vote with us on the gun issue — I’m not sure how many we have left.
My state senator was one that flipped from a rather nasty liberal to a very supportable conservative, but I still have a liberal in the state house. I’ll be pressuring them both on this to the extent I can, of course.
Virginia had a one handgun a month purchase restriction for about 15 years. After an uphill battle it got repealed. Of course the current Dem. Gov. McCaulif wants it back but the legislature should be safely pro gun Republicans. I hope Colorado can do it.
Is the constitutional carry bill for Residents only? They currently don’t issue to non-residents and my state (WA) is not recognized.
I have a Utah permit also, but because it’s not a resident permit CO won’t honer it.
Your issue is with your state (Washington). If Washington recognized CO licenses, CO would recognize your state’s license.
Last I heard all 4 bills had been referred to the kill committee. The House is still controlled by the same people who passed those bills in the first place.
You also have to factor in the fact that Hickenlooper is an anti-Constitution, anti-rule of law lying sack of equine waste. He was, in fact, totally cognizant of what was in the gun seizure bills. He was the recipient of large amounts of Bloomberg money on the subject.
Looking at that list of bills, my heart went pitty-pat. But it is not only a matter of the Democrats left in Colorado being all hard core Lefties [with the exception of one from the San Luis Valley, whose family settled it in the 1800’s]. The Colorado Republican Party is run by those who think that maybe Mitt Romney is a bit too hardcore conservative, and they really don’t want to make any waves on controversial issues by opposing the Democrats.
Case in point, the Colorado Republican Party opposed the recalls of the Senators who passed these abominations. Tried to block the collection of signatures. Right up to the moment enough recall petitions were turned in. Then all of a sudden, it was their idea and not the brothers in Pueblo who started it. I have had the smarmy little twerp who is the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party tell me that it was all their idea. My TEA Party group was out collecting signatures and knows the truth. And I called him a liar to his face.
Don’t plan on Hickenlooper signing any of those bills, assuming they even get that far. Doing so would require him to admit he was wrong. How many times have you seen a politician do that?
My mistake. The house bills moved directly to the kill committee. The Senate bill went to judiciary. I suppose it has a slim chance of passage whereupon it will move to the house and never be seen again.
When Bloomie buys them, they stay bought.
Until recalled.