Colorado - An Interesting Case Study in Gun Laws

I’ve always found myself fascinated by what Colorado has decided to do in regards to it’s gun control laws. It’s had some of the most dramatic crimes in recent history with regards to single incidents of mass killings using guns. Every time such an incident has occurred, there’s been both a surge in gun sales as well as increased measures to control gun ownership.

Just today I found an article on how the Democrats passed new gun control laws. The first law is limiting types of guns and how many rounds a gun’s magazine can fire without needing to be reloaded. 15 rounds for most guns, 5 for shotguns. Up from the original desire to limit the round capacity of the former to 10. Another law was passed at the same time requiring mandatory background checks on any private gun sales. Considering in Colorado there’s currently at least a 9 day (instead of the usual few minutes) wait for a background check, it’s getting slightly absurd. This is ontop of closing all loopholes on background checks at gun shows that has already been enacted years ago after Columbine. Both the magazine size and background check laws have one more voting process needed to pass, so they’re close. We’ll see if they get through

I also found this information really fascinating, and the bolded part particularly scary given how easy it would be to abuse such a policy if enacted:

“The same poll also asked Colorado voters about specific gun law proposals and the margin of support was wide for nearly all the measures in question, according to PNA/Chris Keating:

• 95 percent of voters agree that people with “serious mental health problems” should be prevented from owning a gun.
• 80 percent of voters agree that judges should be able to order someone who is “convicted of domestic violence or given a restraining order” to surrender their guns to the court.
• 80 percent of voters agree that all private gun sales should go through a licensed dealer and be subject to a background check.
• 65 percent of voters agree that guns should be banned on college and university campuses.
• 61 percent of voters agree that the sale and possession of semi-automatic guns and assault rifles should be banned.
• 61 percent of voters agree that the sale and possession of high-capacity ammunition clips, which allow some guns to shoot more than 10 bullets before reloading, should be banned.”

Considering a random woman I’ve never met can accuse me of sexual harassment and get a restraining order, it adds another level of women being able to mess around with a man’s life. I already know several men that have had to deal with crazy harpies in Colorado that would randomly call in that their restraining order had been violated with the goal of having the man lose his job or not be able to see his kid. Taking his guns away; something that many gun owners value, treat with respect, and hold a special place in a man’s heart…. Is low.