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Colorado Legislature Passes ‘Landmark’ Expansion of Gun Background Checks

Mar. 15, 2013 10:29pm Jason Howerton

Credit: AP

DENVER (TheBlaze/AP) — A landmark expansion of background checks on firearm purchases was approved Friday by lawmakers in Colorado, a politically moderate state that was the site of last year’s mass shooting at a suburban Denver movie theater.

The bill previously passed the state Senate and now heads to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is expected to sign it into law within two weeks.

Earlier this week, Colorado lawmakers approved a 15-round limit on ammunition magazines. It is also awaiting the expected approval of the governor.

The bill passed Friday expands cases when a $10 criminal background check would be required to legally transfer a gun. Republicans have opposed the bill, calling it an undue burden on law-abiding gun owners.

“We know for a fact that whatever law we pass criminals won’t care,” said Republican Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg.

The vice president praised passage of the bill.

“Congrats to Colorado House and Senate for passing universal background checks,” read a tweet sent by the office of Vice President Joe Biden from his official Twitter account.

It was followed by another tweet referring to the theater shooting that read, “The families of Aurora deserved a vote and got one. Now U.S. Congress must act too.”

Congress is also considering a number of new firearm restrictions.

Colorado is the first state outside the East Coast to significantly ratchet back gun rights after the theater and school shootings. Colorado’s gun debate was being watched closely because it’s considered a swing state with both a gun-loving frontier past and an unfortunate history of mass shootings, including the 1999 Columbine High School attack.

“Are [we] going to stop all criminals from getting guns? No,” said Democratic Rep. Beth McCann, a sponsor of the background checks bill. “But are we are going to put a barrier there, make it more difficult for them? Yes.”

The move to expand background checks would be one of the most sweeping responses by Colorado to the shootings last year in Aurora and at the elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

In Colorado, expanded checks have been a top priority for Hickenlooper, who called for the proposal during his State of the State address in January.

Both chambers previously approved the expanded checks in slightly different forms. However, both had to agree on an identical bill before passing it to the governor, so a second round of voting was required.

Democrats seemed relieved that Colorado’s protracted gun-control debate was nearing an end.

The GOP unsuccessfully tried some last-minute legislative maneuvers on Friday to sink the background-check measure before it was passed 19-14 by the Senate.

“It won’t help anything, but it makes common everyday actions among friends and neighbors something that’s now illegal in the state of Colorado,” argued Republican Sen. Greg Brophy, one of the GOP’s lead Senate gun negotiators.

Brophy tried to keep background-check talks alive by rejecting a preliminary agreement by the House and Senate to clarify the bill so gun owners can lend firearms to immediate family members without a background check.

Democrats grew frustrated at GOP attempts to imagine scenarios that would trigger background-checks. From 4-H members learning gun safety but needing to borrow a shotgun, to neighbors on weeklong elk-hunting trips, Republicans argued the bill would ensnare harmless gun users.

Democrats insisted that existing exemptions in the bill would cover most scenarios the GOP imagined. The bill’s sponsor, Senate Democratic Leader Morgan Carroll, told Republicans that Democrats had enough votes to pass the measure but extended debate to make small changes requested by Republicans.

“There were many, many changes made to this bill, made in good faith,” said Carroll.

However, Republicans wanted so many exceptions that “we might as well repeal all background checks,” she said.

Featured image via AP

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Comments (189)

Skeeterhawk
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 8:43am
I am against ALL of the bills on gun control proposed in Colorado. All the bills here are second degree misdemeanors. (Less than DUI but still harmful and humiliating to have on a formerly law abiding citizen’s record.) All worthless, feel-good crap. Do you think a hardened criminal or a person hell bent on creating a tragedy will give a damn about a penalty that equals a traffic ticket? If there was any serious intent to make a change they would all be high degree felonies. First, second or third degree felonies. Even now, straw purchase and possession of a firearm by a felon are low grade felonies and are plea bargained most of the time to lesser time served, if any time served. Its all BS window dressing. All designed to incrementally chip away the foundation of the second amendment. These low life, factually ignorant liberals here in Colorado are simply pandering to the Coasts and their gun hating campaign contributors that put them in office to pass gay marriage. It just so happens that they were told they would hate guns after their pro gay marriage vote. There I said it. By the way, by making these laws misdemeanors the burden of enforcement, judgment and concentration falls on the counties not the state. Its county lock up verses state prison. Can you see the total fallacy of all of this??? I don’t give a damn if Bob wants to marry his boyfriend and smoke dope while they do it. Just leave me and my second amendment the hell alone.

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- Skeeterhawk
  Posted on March 16, 2013 at 9:02am
  TYPO
  That should obviously read incarceration not concentration. its only 7 AM on a Saturday morning for gosh sakes……….
  
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dodgedart1966
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 8:39am
$10 for a background check? That’s the same as requiring $20 for a permit to build a shed in my back yard. More of a money grab than anything.
“We need to do something. Let’s make some money off it.”—Your average politician.

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- Skeeterhawk
  Posted on March 16, 2013 at 9:10am
  That’s true. There is a benefit to the public greater good from back ground checks. Therefore the funding should come from the general fund born by all citizens of Colorado. NICS and CBI 4473 checks are taking just a few hours now. Not the 8 to 10 days needed only weeks ago. So why is there a fee being charged? The gun haters say its because there will be so many people needing checks after the law passes. They claim 60% of the gun sales in CO are private sales. I think that’s total BS and there is no way for anyone to know that number.
  
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nilo
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 8:27am
I hop all the Democrats that are gun owners will learn that their rights under the 2nd Amendment are quickly dissolving. How this will be reflected in the crime rate is going to be a concern also.

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Sargeking
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 8:24am
Mr. Obama warned America that this onslaught against freedom and traditions was going to be unleashed non-stop with his re-election. He is delivering on the only true promise he made. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a policy signed into law by Mr. Clinton and it worked for 19 years. It wasn’t perfect but it assured that our All Volunteer Force would continue to attract recruits. With the Gay repeal of DADT, our enlistments have dropped to the point that Charles Rangel (Dem from N.Y.) has called for a reinstatement of the draft and this time it includes women. We are now on the precipice of a total economic collapse. Home invasions and robberies of all descriptions are rising dramatically. Food and fuel riots are sure to follow suit. The ordinary citizen doesn’t 1,000′s of heavily armed, 24/7 government bodyguards to protect them and their families. For the Washington Insider Progressives, the regular people don’t matter because they don’t count; except during an election. Now the Liberals have even closed the “People’s House” (the White House) to tours. Day by day there is a new outrage foisted upon the good people by the Left. The Progressives have not only shut down the “People’s House”, they are trying to destroy our military and Constitutional rights all across the board. This is just the beginning of nearly four more years and perhaps longer. God help us!

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kmltmpx6
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 8:19am
I wonder if they realize what they are doing. Not only have they trampled on the second amendment, but these laws will turn some law-abiding people into criminals. A lot of folks will get their guns by “other means” to avoid these background checks simply because they feel it is not the government’s business as to whether they own a firearm or not. They have inadvertently created another black market.

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Sargeking
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 8:06am
The question begs. In the next Colorado general election will there be enough good voters to turn back the tides of slavery? The bigger question looms, will this cancer spread to other states? Of course the tactic of the Left is to force slavery on the people via federal mandate (Obamacare for instance). When the Obama Regime was retained in November, I felt as if I had been head slapped by a ‘Hoodie on steroids. I’m “Standing My Ground” here in Florida but this national trend to destroy American human rights has me very concerned. We are doing the right thing in a few good states but the Libs are invasive and mentally unstable. For example, they virtually ruined South Florida. Of course this was because of a horrific migration from the N.E. in a Progressive rampage since the 1970′s. With that influx of the worst ilk, we are barely hanging on. Even Texas today is not far behind.

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Choctaw25
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 7:50am
Well Colorado has gone and done it, NOW there will be a mass exodus of criminals from the State of Colorado into the neighboring states and the crime rates in Colorado will drop to epidemic low levels, there will NEVER be another murder in the State of Colorado by a criminal wielding an illegal/unregistered gun.
Life in Colorado will be so safe and peaceful, people can start leaving their doors at home unlocked, their cars left running in the driveway to warm up in the winter before leaving for work, there will NEVER be another rape at gunpoint, their will never be another robbery at gunpoint, all the Gang Members will turn in their illegal guns and the entire State of Colorado will be at Peace once again.
God Bless you Colorado for setting the example of just how STUPID the electorate in Colorado is.
I’ll make anyone a bet that no gun related industries will pack up and move out of Colorado because they are a bunch of weak believers in the Rights and Freedoms given to us by the Constitution.
They whine and grumble, but in the end, they give in, just like the voters.

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ColdDeadHands
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 7:35am
I ain’t registering sh@t !!

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rjtaurus605
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 7:34am
@ Civilwarcometh,
So Idaho looks good to you, do you think Utah is OK? I hope so, I don’t feel like moving again. There is a very vocal leftist element here especially around SLC, but there is also a lot of decent folks, and it is refreshing to see young married families with kids, Families going to church, parents teaching their kids how to shoot at the ranges, nice stuff.

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rjtaurus605
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 7:25am
I hate the fact that all of these stupid new laws passed by the Colorado legislature will be challenged and hopefully be overturned in the courts. first it will waste a lot of money, and second there is no guarantee that the court will overturn these laws. so while we are waiting for the slow wheels of justice to turn, how many people will be killed by “stoned” drivers, how many people will be made defenseless by restrictive gun laws, all of this waste, and for nothing! but they have to move their leftist agenda along!

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Uechi
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 7:20am
The whole thing is a joke. Do these clowns know how many magazines are out in circulation that hold more then 15 rounds? There is no way they can stop anybody from obtaining them. It is not going to make it more difficult for criminals. Do you know how much time it takes to drop a magazine and insert another one? two 15 rounders or one 30 round mag not much time.

Do these fools really think that a father giving a rifle to a son or a friend to a friend are going to go through an FFL? How is Colorado going to know?Of course criminals will get background checks, yup and pigs can fly. This whole sceanario is Progressive feel good crap that wouldn’t have stop the theatre shootings or Sandy Hook.Vote with your feet people and gun manufacturers don’t sell to the state.

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Sargeking
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 6:58am
This is a very sad and tragic event for Colorado. Elections can have dire consequences and the majority of people, mostly new arrivals from California, have infiltrated and destroyed American human rights in the state. Perhaps in a few years the good people can throw off the yoke of Dem slavery but the numbers of low information people and Marxist/Progressives, along with a sycophant Liberal media are powerful forces. They united and Colorado was divided. That being factual, please keep it there. I reside in Florida. Thanks.

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M24
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 6:37am
Communist Bastards all of you ,All you weak sucks keep letting these politicans get away with taking away your freedoms you will wake up one day and no more rights or freedom . The democrats are sucking the life out of states like colorado and dumbaszes are just letting them get away with it .

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BehindBlueEyes
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 6:04am
@NZKIWI
Thanks for the link. She describes it well. Sounds like a combination of the road to serfdom and Cloward and Piven.

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savagenatn
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 4:52am
Colorado, once an outstanding state now completely destroyed by idiot liberal hacks who moved from california after destroying that pathetic state. Elections have consequences folks and those of you from Colorado can thank your “progressive’ hack politicians you put in office

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Dark_Night
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 3:57am
It’s a shame that Colorado has fallen into the control of the twisted thinkers, and I hope somehow enough people are awakened and can take effective action to clean the varmints out.

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sinner-saint
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 3:09am
Well….I didn’t lose anything in Colorado. Who wants to go to a liberal communist led state for a vacation or to o business there? Not I. Colorado has become another California crap hole. Oh John Denver was before his time with his Colorado Rocky Mountain high song……….they got their high potency weed now and their brains have gone to crap…..smokin too much dope getting that rocky mountain high lol….can’t think straight anymore…….burned too many brain cells up. Got too many druggies up there….they spend ll their time getting high……burn their brains out…..go crazy…….become a mental case…….and then go shoot/kill a bunch of people because they don’t have a brain left between their two ears. Their brains turn to communist mush.

Please don’t come to Texas. Fix your own dam state and its problems.

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GunTrader
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 2:05am
Background checks are needed for all civil rights. We need them before any one posts on Facebook, before reporters print stories, before we speak out on political issues, before we are allowed to pick a church or no church, before we are secure in our persons papers and affects, before we are presumed innocent…

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Sgt_Rock
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 1:50am
The people of Colorado need to make a statement at their next election. It was obvious that most folks did not want these laws passed and the legislator acted contrary to their very vocal arguments against the passage of these bills. Especially when you have a state senator actually saying he had no intention of listening to his constituents…I read that there was a group of millionaire /billionaires in Colo. originally from out of state who have spent millions to get dems into the governors office and get legislative districts redrawn to favor the dems, resulting in majorities in both houses. Basically using Alinsky tactics going as far back as 2004 to take over the state. It was led by an a**hole named Yates a former president at CSU;

http://freebeacon.com/democracy-alliance/al-yates-reshaping-colorado/

The conservatives need a similar machine to move in there and kick these low life’s out of Colorado.

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sinner-saint
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 1:49am
These laws will do absolutely nothing to curb gun violence in Colorado. Its all about collecting fees, tyranny, and selective enforcement of those laws. The wacko liberals there want their utopian society and fortunately, they’re going to get nothing but more gun violence. All you crazies and criminals know where to go now – head for states like Colorado, California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Conneticut – the people living there got money, drugs and and are welfare states……it will be easy pickings and killing now for sure.

Don’t come to states like Texas, Wyoming, Oklahoma, etc……….you won’t fair very well here. You’ll be meeting your maker sooner than you would like. and Colorado lets you smoke all the god weed you want…..go for it.

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OUT THE REGRESSIVES
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 1:22am
I will keep saying it over and over: BOYCOTT COLORADO until the Big Socialist Party is no longer in charge.
Also, 4Q Joe Biteme!

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Hannibal_32
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 1:05am
HAHAHAHAHAHA… It is always gratifying to see the electorate get what it asked for. Enjoy the pot, tards.

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eagledown
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 12:45am
If it’s an unconstitutional law, it’s not a law and will be dis-obeyed.
Our founders signed the Declaration of Independence risking they’re lives, there fortunes and they’re sacred honor to separate themselves from Tyranny. But these Progressives are doing the same thing, only in reverse. They are Undoing the Freedom Charters piece by piece with every law they spew out of there Tyranny Mills called State Legislatures.

When anarchy comes to there neighborhoods, they will be knocking on your door. “Hey buddy, can you spare a 30 round clip”

Not about the clips, it’s about knowing who you are. Control.

More “Do-Good-er” crap that is going to get us all killed.

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GoodStuff
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 12:12am
Elections have consequences!

All you idiot, Colorado libertarians who sat out the last election because Romney wasn’t Ron Paul…shame on you. You have nobody to blame but yourselves.

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- slr4528
  Posted on March 16, 2013 at 6:51pm
  These conservative and libertarian idiots who stayed home during the election have no reason to complain!
  
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Cavallo
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 12:10am
So what is to keep a citizen of Colorado from going across the border and buying a firearm in a neighboring State?

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