Latest news with #ColoradoStateShootingAssociation
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado Republicans urge federal constitutional review of state gun laws
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs Senate Bill 25-3, a gun safety measure, on April 10, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) A coalition of Colorado's Republican members of Congress, Republican state lawmakers, county sheriffs and the Colorado State Shooting Association want U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to review the constitutionality of nearly 20 state gun laws they say infringe on Second Amendment rights. In a letter sent Monday, the group asked Bondi to take up the review using the Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force her office established in early April. 'Over the past few years, the State of Colorado and some of its larger cities and political subdivisions have, through a progression of increasingly oppressive and burdensome statutes and ordinances, engaged in a systemic and unrelenting campaign designed to restrict, impair, impede and ultimately extinguish Coloradans' right to bear arms in violation of our Constitution,' the letter reads. House Republicans sent a similar request to Bondi's office a few weeks ago, but now more people are on board, including the state Senate Republican caucus, Colorado's four Republican members of Congress, and 14 county sheriffs. The Colorado State Shooting Association is the state branch of the National Rifle Association. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX They urged Bondi to investigate Colorado's 'anti-Second Amendment agenda' and identify 'federal remedies' including litigation. They also want an assessment of how the laws impact 'law-abiding citizens' and rural residents, hunters, people in poverty and people who rely on guns for self defense. The letter mentions laws including the state's high capacity ammunition law, 'red flag' law, waiting period requirement, minimum age requirement and expanded training for concealed carry permits. The majority of the laws called out in the letter were passed in the last three years. It also highlights Senate Bill 25-3, signed into law earlier this month, that sets training requirements to purchase most semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines. The law is set to go into effect in August 2026. It passed the Legislature with entirely Democratic support. The letter says that the new law fails to meet the 'constitutional benchmarks' set by a series of gun-related U.S. Supreme Court cases. Throughout the lawmaking process, however, bill sponsors asserted that they believe it would stand up to a legal challenge. Colorado joins states including California, Washington and Oregon that require training to buy certain guns. 'I think this bill will make Colorado's communities safer and prevent accidents as well as reduce gun violence, ultimately saving lives while protecting our Second Amendment rights,' Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said as he signed SB-3. In a statement, Attorney General Phil Weiser said SB-3 was 'commonsense.' 'Colorado communities — from Aurora and Colorado Springs to Boulder and Littleton — have been devastated by gun violence. While each mass killing brings unique pain and trauma, they all have one thing in common: weapons that are more suited for war than for self-defense or hunting,' he said in an email. 'I will continue to go to court to defend Colorado and our laws whenever they are attacked by the gun lobby or Washington, DC.' It is likely SB-3 will face litigation from gun-rights groups. The federal task force is composed of Bondi, the yet-to-be-confirmed associate attorney general, and representatives from the Department of Justice's Criminal Division and Civil Rights Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It has not yet met. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado GOP leaders urge AG Bondi to investigate ‘Second Amendment infringements'
DENVER (KDVR) — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was sent a formal letter on Monday urging a Department of Justice investigation into the state of Colorado's gun laws, specifically citing a newly signed law that Second Amendment advocates have called an infringement on their rights. The letter was sent by the Colorado State Shooting Association, which is the official state association of the National Rifle Association. The groups announced immediately after Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill into law that they would be filing a lawsuit against the measure. Read more about SB25-003: Governor signs bill requiring training for semiautomatic guns, banning rapid-fire conversion devices 'We respectfully request that the Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force launch a thorough investigation into Colorado's anti-Second Amendment agenda, focusing on the following,' the group wrote. The task force was created earlier this month. Bondi said in a release that the task force was aimed at advancing President Donald Trump's 'pro-gun agenda and protect gun owners from overreach.' Huey Laugesen, executive director of the Colorado State Shooting Association, told FOX31's Nate Belt that alongside the letter, the association has collected voters' signatures. As of Monday, Laugesen said they had collected 'tens of thousands.' 'When we have government coming in and putting in insurmountable obstacles for a lot of people, and particularly low-income individuals who are much more likely to be victimized by violent criminals, that's a major problem. That's some serious overreach,' Laugesen told Belt. 'We won't stand for it because it's a very dangerous path that we're headed down.' The letter went on to reference many gun laws in Colorado enacted since 2021 and some municipal codes in Denver and Boulder. The letter also noted that 37 Colorado counties 'have declared themselves to be 'Second Amendment Sanctuaries' in an attempt to oppose or resist the state's efforts to undermine or effectively deny their rights.' Colorado's Senate Bill 3 will go into effect in August 2026. It will require anyone seeking to buy a semiautomatic firearm with a detachable magazine to have obtained a permit, which requires a background check through county sheriff offices and training that will be provided through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The measure also expanded on Colorado's ban on rapid-fire conversion devices, no longer allowing the sale or purchase of bump stocks or other conversion devices in the state. Before signing the bill, Polis said that 14 other states require similar permits or safety course completions before purchasing certain firearms. 'Again we want to make sure that it was a real thing to get that learning … overall I really think this bill will make Colorado communities safer and prevent both accidents as well as reducing violence and ultimately that means saving lives while protecting our second amendment rights and of course holding up Colorado's proud tradition of sport shooting and hunting,' Polis said on April 10. In 2026, Coloradans will need a retailer's help to access ammunition in stores Second Amendment advocates disagree. 'Senate Bill 3 is not about public safety — it's a deliberate attempt to disarm law-abiding Coloradans and erode our constitutional protections,' said Ray Elliott, President of the Colorado State Shooting Association, in a release 'We are calling on Attorney General Bondi and the DOJ's Second Amendment Task Force to intervene and hold the State of Colorado accountable for its flagrant violations of the Second Amendment.' The letter emphasizes Supreme Court rulings that affirm the individual right to possess firearms for self-defense. Colorado Second Amendment proponents have called the potential cost of obtaining the training, background check and permit 'a burdensome permit-to-purchase scheme' that 'represents a direct assault on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Coloradans.' The bill does not apply to recoil-operated handguns or shotguns, common hunting rifles, semiautomatic weapons with fixed magazines or currently owned guns. The training that must be included in the safety course includes safe gun usage, federal and state firearm laws, and de-escalation and crisis intervention strategies. Notably, among those who signed the letter to AG Bondi were: U.S. Representative for Colorado Jeff Crank U.S. Representative for Colorado Lauren Boebert U.S. Representative for Colorado Jeff Hurd U.S. Representative for Colorado Gabe Evans Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper Weld County Sheriff Steven Reams Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario Archuleta County Sheriff Mike LeRoux Costilla County Sheriff Danny Sanchez Montrose County Sheriff Gene Lillard Saguache County Sheriff Dan Warwick Gilpin County Sheriff Kevin Armstrong Washington County Sheriff Robbie Furrow Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal ACLU sues ICE to obtain expanded immigration detention plans in Colorado, Wyoming Also signing the letter were all of the Republican Senators and Representatives in Colorado's General Assembly. The sheriffs who signed represent just over 21% of the 64 county sheriffs in the state. 'The law's arbitrary requirements and discretionary sheriff approvals create insurmountable barriers for law-abiding citizens, particularly low-income Coloradans, while doing nothing to address criminal behavior,' said David Price, general counsel for the Colorado State Shooting Association, in a release on Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Libertarian' Gov. Jared Polis Signs 'Restrictive' Gun Law and Booze Ban
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis identifies as a "libertarian Democrat" and is known for saying things like "government in general does a lot of things that aren't necessary" and that the state income tax rate "should be zero." Especially among Democratic politicians, he is known as an advocate for making it easier to build housing and reduce red tape. In 2022, I even asked whether he was the most libertarian governor in America. But a couple of new laws he's signed about guns and booze call his small-government bona fides into question. Last week, he signed legislation that gives Colorado "one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country," according to CBS News. The new restrictions, pushed by a state senator whose son was killed during the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting, make it "illegal to buy, sell and make most semi-automatic firearms without background checks and training." The law requires purchasers to get a background check from their county sheriff, who will have the discretion to deny permission if the purchaser is deemed a "danger." After that initial check, the purchaser will then have to pass a 12-hour training course, have their names entered into the state database, and pass a second check by a firearms dealer. The new law also bans bump stocks, which allow semiautomatics to mimic fully automatic weapons. A spokesman for the Colorado State Shooting Association told CBS News that the law is unconstitutional and that the gun rights group plans to sue. Polis has long supported other restrictions on gun ownership, such as red flag laws that allow law enforcement to temporarily suspend gun rights for individuals deemed a threat to themselves and others without due process. Also last week, Polis signed legislation stopping the ability of grocery stores and big-box retailers to sell distilled spirits (or hard liquor). Currently, about three dozen supermarkets and big-box retailers are allowed to sell spirits like tequila, whisky, and vodka. Senate Bill 33 halts the expansion of grocery stores that can sell hard liquor as a way of protecting the state's independent alcohol retailers, who have struggled to compete. In a signing statement, Polis said that he didn't like the way the law "puts the state government in the position of picking winners and losers" and limits consumer choices, but signed it anyway, noting the overwhelming support in both houses of the state legislature. Polis' willingness to sign a bill simply because the vote for it was lopsided is worrying, especially since the Colorado legislature just overwhelmingly passed S.B. 25-086, a social-media law that would force platforms to create "public policies for their platform and remove a user who violates them." Polis has spoken out against such laws and his office released a statement today saying he "is not comfortable with the government forcing private social media companies to act as law enforcement." Yet S.B. 25-086 passed with similarly lopsided support as the bill governing liquor sales bill, suggesting that Polis may well sign it out of deference to the majority. The post 'Libertarian' Gov. Jared Polis Signs 'Restrictive' Gun Law and Booze Ban appeared first on
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Shooting Association is set to deliver over 25,000 petition signatures for firearms bill
The Colorado State Shooting Association is set to deliver over 25,000 petition signatures to Governor Polis, urging him to veto Colorado Senate Bill 3.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NRA sues to stop ammunition, firearm excise tax approved by Colorado voters
DENVER (KDVR) — The National Rifle Association joined a number of organizations, alongside an El Paso County resident, suing to stop a 6.5% excise tax on ammunition and firearms that's set to go into effect on April 1. Proposition KK was passed by voters in November with 54.4% of voters affirming the tax, or about 1.68 million voters. The tax revenue would be allocated to school security and mental health services for veterans, domestic and other violence victims and at-risk youth. Governor's desk final hurdle for bill regulating semiautomatic firearms, rapid-fire conversion devices The lawsuit was filed Monday in Denver District Court against Heidi Humphreys, who is the executive director of the Colorado Department of Revenue, and Michael Allen, who is the district attorney for El Paso County. The lawsuit seeks to overturn the tax, citing it as an unfair burden on lawful gun owners and firearms industry businesses. The NRA specifically asked for a declaratory judgment calling the tax unconstitutional and a permanent injunction to prevent enforcement of the tax. 'Colorado's firearms excise tax is an overt assault on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Coloradans and a deliberate attempt to discourage the exercise of constitutionally protected freedoms,' said John Commerford, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, in an announcement of the lawsuit. 'Recently, anti-gun activists in Colorado have been adopting California's radical gun control agenda to systematically erode gun rights in the state. We are pleased to join with other Second Amendment advocates in this lawsuit to protect and defend the fundamental right to keep and bear arms.' The lawsuit's plaintiffs include the Colorado State Shooting Association, the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Magnum Shooting Center — which was described as a leading Colorado firearms retailer. The groups are contending that the tax violates the Second Amendment and that it unfairly targets and singles out gun owners and retailers. Brita Horn elected Colorado GOP Chair on 'unify the party' platform amid year of infighting 'This tax is a direct attack on our Second Amendment freedoms,' said Huey Laugesen, executive director of the Colorado State Shooting Association, in a release. 'Law-abiding Coloradans already pay state and local sales taxes on firearm and ammunition purchases, and now the state is layering on this punitive measure. Alongside our partners, we're holding the state accountable in court to defend Coloradans' right to keep and bear arms without assuming additional tax burdens not placed on others.' The measure is estimated to raise $39 million in state taxes annually. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
