Last night, the House State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee voted 7-4 to pass House Bill 23-1219, a gun-control bill that requires a 3-day waiting period between firearm purchases and possession. Tomorrow, March 8, the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee is expected to hear and vote on 3 anti-gun bills. They include Senate Bill 23-170, a bill that expands Colorado “Red Flag” orders, or Emergency Risk Protection Orders; Senate bill 23-169, a bill that raises the age to purchase a firearm to 21; and Senate bill 23-168, a bill that holds gun industry members liable for third-party criminal acts. Please contact the committee members now and ask them to OPPOSE these anti-2A bills, which would place further burdens on law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen!
A short description is below. To view the full text and sponsors of the bill, click on each bill number.
SB23-170 expands Colorado’s “red flag” gun confiscation scheme by allowing additional “qualified” individuals to determine who will act out in dangerous and unlawful ways ahead of time and confiscate their firearms to prevent this 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 can lead to the violation of citizens' rights.
SB23-169 raises the age to purchase a firearm to 21. If passed, this would harm youth hunting. Individuals who are old enough to vote, join the military, or enter into contracts should also be allowed to purchase firearms. Raising the age limit is an unnecessary restriction on personal freedom and choice. Also, raising the age will not stop criminals from stealing firearms, getting them on the black market, or getting them from straw purchasers. It will only infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
SB23-168 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 every such occasion could subject an industry member to liability, it would be all but impossible for businesses that support the Second Amendment to exist.
Your NRA-ILA is closely monitoring the legislation and actively opposing the anti-gun bills. Stay tuned to your inbox and www.nraila.org for updates.