Bill would relax firearms ordinance
Denver law prohibits driving into or through the city with a weapon
By Jon Sarche
Associated Press
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DENVER — The House on Friday tentatively approved a Senate-passed measure that would relax a Denver ordinance that prohibits driving into or through the city with firearms in a vehicle.
Senate Bill 154, which is scheduled for final House consideration Monday, originally would have allowed people to carry guns in their cars while traveling outside their home jurisdictions.
But under an amendment added by House Majority Leader Doug Dean, R-Colorado Springs, the bill would pre-empt any local ordinance restricting travel with legal firearms.
It was aimed primarily at Denver's ordinance, which prohibits people from carrying guns in vehicles while traveling in the city unless they can prove they are under an immediate threat.
The bill also would change the way such ordinances are enforced. Currently, motorists whose guns are seized under Denver's ordinance have to prove they were carrying the weapons legally. Under the measure, authorities would have to prove the weapons were being carried illegally before they could be seized.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Gary McPherson, R-Denver, said the measure was a carefully crafted compromise between the city of Denver and opponents to Denver's ordinance.
He said that was why he resisted Dean's amendment, even though he supports the concept.
"While I'd like to pre-empt the ordinance, we simply can't get the votes to go that far," McPherson said. "Half the pie is better than no pie at all."
Other opponents to Dean's amendment argued the Legislature should not dictate to local governments how they will regulate the actions of people within their own boundaries.
"If the Legislature is going to decide that something that happens only within one municipality is a matter of statewide concern and we're going to interfere with that, it is a slap in the face of local governments," said Rep. Dan Grossman, D-Denver. "The whole intent of the bill is to regulate something that happens between jurisdictions, not within one jurisdiction."
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Gun Control: The proposition that a woman found dead in an alley, raped and strangled with her own panty hose, is more acceptable than allowing that same woman to defend herself with a firearm.
Denver law prohibits driving into or through the city with a weapon
By Jon Sarche
Associated Press
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DENVER — The House on Friday tentatively approved a Senate-passed measure that would relax a Denver ordinance that prohibits driving into or through the city with firearms in a vehicle.
Senate Bill 154, which is scheduled for final House consideration Monday, originally would have allowed people to carry guns in their cars while traveling outside their home jurisdictions.
But under an amendment added by House Majority Leader Doug Dean, R-Colorado Springs, the bill would pre-empt any local ordinance restricting travel with legal firearms.
It was aimed primarily at Denver's ordinance, which prohibits people from carrying guns in vehicles while traveling in the city unless they can prove they are under an immediate threat.
The bill also would change the way such ordinances are enforced. Currently, motorists whose guns are seized under Denver's ordinance have to prove they were carrying the weapons legally. Under the measure, authorities would have to prove the weapons were being carried illegally before they could be seized.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Gary McPherson, R-Denver, said the measure was a carefully crafted compromise between the city of Denver and opponents to Denver's ordinance.
He said that was why he resisted Dean's amendment, even though he supports the concept.
"While I'd like to pre-empt the ordinance, we simply can't get the votes to go that far," McPherson said. "Half the pie is better than no pie at all."
Other opponents to Dean's amendment argued the Legislature should not dictate to local governments how they will regulate the actions of people within their own boundaries.
"If the Legislature is going to decide that something that happens only within one municipality is a matter of statewide concern and we're going to interfere with that, it is a slap in the face of local governments," said Rep. Dan Grossman, D-Denver. "The whole intent of the bill is to regulate something that happens between jurisdictions, not within one jurisdiction."
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Gun Control: The proposition that a woman found dead in an alley, raped and strangled with her own panty hose, is more acceptable than allowing that same woman to defend herself with a firearm.