Why Colorado Matters: How The Left Plans To Steal Liberty

Colorado has become a recent lightening rod over Second Amendment rights as Democrats in the state legislature have proposed seven highly restrictive gun control laws. Currently, Democrats have a 20-15 majority in the Colorado Senate, meaning that Republicans only have to convince three Democrats to vote no in order to kill the bills, and the Senate Republicans were planning a historical, monumental effort to make a sound case against these proposals. Locally, media is portraying this Second Amendment issue as a struggle in “a state balancing a history of heartbreaking shootings with a Western heritage where gun ownership is treasured by many.”

The debate on the proposals occurred on Friday, March 8; here is a video of some of that debate:

Here is a list of the gun grabbing proposals, and what happened with each after the debate:

• ​Online gun certification: ​Senate Bill 195, banning online certification for concealed carry permits and requiring people to attend classes in person — advances in Senate

• ​Liability for “assault”-style weapons: Senate Bill 196, holding manufacturers and sellers of semiautomatic weapons liable for violence committed with them — ​killed by sponsor

• ​Gun ban for domestic abusers: Senate Bill 197, banning certain domestic violence abusers from owning guns — advances in Senate

• Limits on high-capacity ammunition:​ House Bill 1224, limiting gun ammunition magazines to 15 rounds but amended to not outlaw the “standard shotgun” — ​advances in Senate

​• Gun ban on college campuses: ​House Bill 1226, banning concealed weapons on college campuses — ​killed by sponsor

​• Background check fee:​ House Bill 1228, requiring gun buyers to pay for their own background checks — ​advances in Senate

​• Universal background checks:​ House Bill 1229, requiring background checks for all gun transfers, including private sales — ​advances in Senate

What many consider to be the two most controversial proposals (the proposal to hold manufacturers responsible for damage from “assault” rifles, and the gun ban on college campuses, were both rightly defeated and killed. The former would have set a pretty dangerous precedent in which the manufacturer of a product could be sued for the misuse of that product by an individual. The latter measure would have weakened the ability for female students to defend themselves against violent crime, and was under increased scrutiny after uncommonly ignorant comments two two state legislators, and this similarly myopic exchange between State Senator Hudak and rape survivor Susan Collins:

Another controversial proposal that limits the capacity of ammunition magazines to 15 round advanced, but only after it was amended to increase the number of shells allowed for shotgun magazines. Without the amendment, the bill would have essentially banned pump-action shotguns, and rendered VP Biden’s advice for home defense useless. Even though this bill advanced, it was not without severe criticism:

Sen. Randy Baumgardner, R-Cowdrey, argued that the bill would not make a single Coloradan safer. He also ridiculed an amendment in the House that allows magazine manufacturers to sell larger rounds outside the state.

“Are we concerned about safety or are we concerned about money, revenue to the state?” he said.

Using diagrams and various props, GOP lawmakers consistently assailed the bill as ineffective and flawed.

But the sponsor, Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, insisted the measure would reduce mass killings by placing the limit on ammunition magazines.

This, considering the states top ammunition manufacturer, Magpul, has suggested they might have to move operations if the proposal passes and is signed into law. Republicans in the State Senate:

…argued that the bills wouldn’t reduce gun violence and that mental health treatment should be expanded instead.

“We can make as many laws as we want. Until we change the hearts of man, they’re going to continue to do evil things,” said Republican Sen. Scott Renfroe.

Why is all of this important? Beyond a Second Amendment fight in a particular state, as the local media states:

The Colorado debate is being watched nationally as a bellwether of how far politically moderate states are willing to go with new gun laws in the wake of mass shootings in a suburban Denver movie theater and a Connecticut elementary school.

In other words, the left is using Colorado as a testing ground of sorts to determine how far the can go in limiting the Constitutional right to bear arms. In fact, Joe Biden has already made personal phone calls to Democrat state representatives in Colorado to encorage the advancement of strict gun control measures.

In addition, the Soros funded Center For American Progress has also been pushing an agenda that includes 13 new gun laws. As Awr Hawkins observes, Soros and company believe that guns are the problem, not criminals. I think it also goes further for some on the left to a desire to disarm the citizenry to make them more subject to the increasing federal power for which they are aiming.

Make no mistake, if the strictest gun grabbing measures are signed into law, the left will become even more emboldened and look to Colorado as a precedent to advance the gun control agenda to an ever-increasing number of states. It is more important than ever to support efforts in Colorado to block these attempts to infringe on citizens’ Constitutionally protects rights. It is this incremental approach to passing an agenda at which the left has become particularly adept. In other words, start with one state (just like with unions in Wisconsin), go as far as possible there, then move to the next state and try for more, and so on. Once they have been able to move the needle on the Second Amendment, they’ll move on to perhaps another Constitutionally protected right, such as the First Amendment. This is how the left steals liberty on its path to their illusory socialist utopia, and it must be stopped.