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To all of my Colorado "representatives" and elected politicians,
The Constitution of the United States, Bill of Rights Amendment II, reads:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The Constitution of Colorado, Article II section 13, reads:
The right of no person to keep and bear arms in defense of his home, person and property, or in aid of the civil power when thereto legally summoned, shall be called in question; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to justify the practice of carrying concealed weapons.
Colorado Revised Statute 29-11.7-102 reads as follows:
C.R.S. 29-11.7-102 (2012)
29-11.7-102. Firearms database - prohibited
(1) A local government, including a law enforcement agency, shall not maintain a list or other form of record or database of:
(a) Persons who purchase or exchange firearms or who leave firearms for repair or sale on consignment;
(b) Persons who transfer firearms, unless the persons are federally licensed firearms dealers;
(c) The descriptions, including serial numbers, of firearms purchased, transferred, exchanged, or left for repair or sale on consignment.
I can only hope and pray that each of you were familiar with the US and Colorado Constitutions, and while I can not expect you to know C.R.S., I certainly expect you to understand it after you have read it. Four bills have been introduced on the floor recently.
HB13-1224 Prohibiting “Large Capacity” Magazines
HB13-1229 Universal Background Checks
HB13-1226 No Concealed Carry at Colleges
HB13-1228 Payment for Background Checks on Firearms Transfers
As a former Marine, current Colorado Law Enforcement Officer, tax-payer, citizen, American, and patriot, I can not support these bills, and therefore can not support any politician who does. Attempting to infringe on my rights as outlined by the Second Amendment (US) and Section 13 (CO) is a direct violation of the oath that each and everyone of you took, as well as the oath that I swore.
HB13-1229 would outlaw private transfers of firearms between two law-abiding citizens. As it stands currently, its is illegal to sell to a felon, and therefore a law-abiding citizen would follow the law and not sell to said felon. That citizen still maintains the ability to sell to his law-abiding friend, brother, father-in-law, and fellow citizen alike. If this bill is passed, the ONLY way to enforce it would be through registration, which is strictly forbidden in C.R.S. 29-11.7-102. Firearm registration has a long history of leading to confiscation, as most Coloradans understand. Because of this, many law-abiding citizens in Colorado will refuse to register their legal firearms afforded to them by the CO and US Constitution, and they will become felons. Once free and civil Americans will now be felons in the eye of the law. Where will you house these people? Our County Jail Facilities are already operating at near max capacity. Our DOC facilities are not equipped to hold mass pre-trial offenders. Where will you find the Law Enforcement Officers to enforce these unconstitutional laws? Many CO Sheriff's have already stated they will not enforce unconstitutional firearms laws, and the majority of officers across the state stand with them. I will not register my firearms, what will you do with me?
HB13-1224 would prohibit "large capacity" magazines. Thousands upon thousands of Colorado gun owners own firearms that accept 30-round magazines. Millions of these magazines are currently in circulation across the state, and millions more are on backorder, waiting to be delivered to Colorado homes. And yet, these millions of magazines for the thousands of semi-automatic firearms in Colorado have never caused problems, and have in fact been used in so few crimes that forks and hammers are a far larger danger to society than the possession and use of a standard-capacity magazine (Magazines that hold 30-rounds are considered "standard capacity", not high capacity). Magazine limits and bans have proven to only hurt and hinder the law abiding citizen, and they have not stopped criminals, case in point is the North Hollywood Bank Robbery during the 94 AWB. The Columbine Massacre is an instance where people were killed by a shooter using a firearm equipped with 10-round magazines, would this law have stopped that shooting? And why limit us to 10 rounds? Why not go for 7 like the NY State Legislature recently did? They effectively created thousands of felons in the blink of an eye out of law-abiding-citizens, do you aim to do the same to us?
HB13-1226 would prohibit the carry of concealed firearms on a college campus. This bill may be the most laughable of all four. In order to recieve my Concealed Carry Permit in Colorado, I had to show proof of extensive firearms training, as well as training in Use of Force legalities. My County Sheriff then had to review my background and history, CBI did and extensive background check and took my fingerprints, and then I was cleared to carry a concealed firearm. All permit holders in the state have proven to be responsible and upstanding citizens. A "gun free" zone only disarms the responsible citizens, a "gun free" zone only creates a virtual shooting-gallery of unarmed and defenseless victims for the evil elements in our society. Our college campus' currently have hundreds, if not thousands, of responsible permit holders as students and faculty who have done NOTHING wrong, and yet you are attempting to disarm them. What instances do you have where a permit-holder killed someone with their firearm on a college campus? As it stands right now, people have the right and ability to defend themselves and others from those who wish to kill them, and yet your goal is to rob them of that defense. That is sickening.
HB13-1228 Payment for Background Checks for Gun Transfers-- a measure that would require CO residents to pay for the back logged state-run CBI system (currently taking 3 times the federally mandated wait time for checks to occur) instead of using the free federal NICS checks.
I urge you all to consider your oath, to consider the Constitutions of the United States and Colorado, to consider the law, and to guide your votes with logic and reason, not emotion. Consider that if these bills were to pass, thousands of Colorado citizens (men and women who are veterans, police officers, doctors, scientists, teachers, bankers, hunters, fathers, mothers, etc) would not comply, and would become felons overnight. Many will leave the state, many will stay and defy unconstitutional laws, some will passively resist, and I am sure some will resist more aggressively. Jobs will be lost, not in the hundreds, but in the thousands. Industrial magnates such as Magpul will uproot and bring their business elsewhere, and gun stores/sporting goods stores across the state will close their doors for the last time. The divide that exists among Coloradans today will grow exponentially larger. And when it comes time to vote for all of you, we will not forget those who sold us down the river, we will not forget those who stood up for freedom and voted against these bills, and we will ensure that each and everyone of are held accountable for your votes. I am a Colorado citizen, and a citizen of these United States of America, you serve me, you serve the people, you serve the Constitution of our state and country, you do not serve your own special interests. Please, do the right thing.
Sincerely,
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