A series of sweeping gun-control measures in Colorado is on track to hit the governor's desk by the end of the month, with Democratic committees in the Legislature advancing all the bills despite a Capitol packed with hundreds of opponents and surrounded by cars circling the Capitol blaring their horns.
Gun limits including expanded background checks and ammunition magazine limits were helped Monday by testimony from the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and victims of mass shootings in Connecticut and suburban Denver.
Colorado has become a focus point in the national debate over what new laws, if any, are needed to prevent gun violence after recent mass shootings, including an attack at an Aurora movie theater last summer – a massacre that brought to mind the Columbine High School shooting of 1999 for many in the state and across the nation.
The seven gun-control measures cleared their committees on 3-2 party-line votes and are planned for debate by the full Senate by Friday. Four of the seven have already cleared the House, making it possible some of them will land on the desk of Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper within weeks.
"I think they'll all pass. I really do," said Democratic Senate President John Morse. "And I think they all should pass. I think any of them failing doesn't make Colorado as safe as we could make Colorado."
Besides the blaring car horns, the gun nuts also decided to take to the skies to advertise their displeasure:
A biplane flying above the Capitol Monday warned the governor, "HICK: DO NOT TAKE OUR GUNS!"
Yeah nothing has an impact on legislation like banners on biplanes, don't you agree?
I see Colorado as a sort of legislative "canary in the mine shaft." If these laws get passed here, there is a strong chance that others states will feel emboldened to pass them as well.
At least that is my hope.
Do you remember how right after the shootings at Sandy Hook we had so many Republicans coming out and attempting to shame the President and others for suggesting that they were using the tragedy for political reasons, and that it was "too soon to start talking about gun control?"
That was because they well knew that the memories of the American people are sometimes brief, and that with the passing of time the outrage and pain would subside. They hoped that if they could just delay things long enough, while also pointing towards numerous other contributors to the violence like mental health and video games, they might help their NRA overlords escape the impact of stringent new gun control laws.
Fortunately, at least in Colorado, that did not work for them. Let's hope that with Colorado setting the example it will not work for them nationally either.
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