Thanks to the TRT ( http://www.trteam.com/ )
and RMGO ( http://www.rmgo.org/ )
in Colorado.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/shooting/0418chec7.shtml
Gun show loophole amendment defeated by Republican majority
By John Sanko
Denver Rocky Mountain News Capitol Bureau
If the so-called gun show loophole is closed this year, it won't be the Colorado legislature's doing.
A constitutional amendment asking voters to decide if there should be criminal background checks on all buyers at gun shows was killed by the Republican majority in the Senate State Affairs Committee, with a 5-4 party-line vote Monday.
Its defeat means SAFE Colorado must collect more than 62,000 signatures to get the issue before the state's voters in November.
The hearing produced some surprises even if the vote didn't.
At one point, Sen. Jim Dyer, D-Durango, pulled a wad of bills from his pocket to challenge a man's claim that more background checks aren't needed.
"I can buy a gun on the street three blocks from here quicker than I can at a gun show," testified Bill Dietrick of the Colorado State Shooting Association.
Dyer immediately reached into his pocket, took $110 from his wallet, and thrust the money into Dietrick's face.
"Let's go," Dyer said. "You say you can buy a gun within three blocks. Let's see you do it. Let's go right now."
Sen. MaryAnne Tebedo, R-Colorado Springs, quickly ended the confrontation, which clearly showed the void between the pro- and anti-gun control forces.
"I guess I had an Irish moment," Dyer said after the hearing. "You hear all of this bull. I just wanted to call his bluff."
Sen. Pat Pascoe, D-Denver, was challenged by Republican critics of her SCR 9, which was similar to a measure killed earlier in the House.
"I'm not surprised," she said afterwards. "It's always not much fun to go through the harassment from the anti-gun-control folks."
Sens. Tebedo and Jim Congrove, R-Arvada, said they considered Pascoe's proposal for registration of firearms and questioned whether background check information would be kept secret.
"There's a database out there of who, what, where and when and that bothers people," Congrove said.
Federally licensed dealers who sell weapons at gun shows are already required to run background checks on buyers, but private sellers are not. That creates a loophole for criminals and underage people to buy guns, says SAFE Colorado members and others.
Arnie Grossman, a leader of SAFE Colorado, said he remains optimistic that the measure will get on the ballot in November.
Another hearing on the wording of the ballot initiatitive, which has been challenged by anti-gun-control groups, is scheduled for Wednesday. The issue is likely to end up in court.
"I think they're looking for every possible technicality and flaw they can find, but I have not yet heard a single argument of substance that really could stop this process," Grossman said.
Contact John Sanko at (303) 892-5404 or sankoj@rockymountainnews.com.
------------------
The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
and RMGO ( http://www.rmgo.org/ )
in Colorado.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/shooting/0418chec7.shtml
Gun show loophole amendment defeated by Republican majority
By John Sanko
Denver Rocky Mountain News Capitol Bureau
If the so-called gun show loophole is closed this year, it won't be the Colorado legislature's doing.
A constitutional amendment asking voters to decide if there should be criminal background checks on all buyers at gun shows was killed by the Republican majority in the Senate State Affairs Committee, with a 5-4 party-line vote Monday.
Its defeat means SAFE Colorado must collect more than 62,000 signatures to get the issue before the state's voters in November.
The hearing produced some surprises even if the vote didn't.
At one point, Sen. Jim Dyer, D-Durango, pulled a wad of bills from his pocket to challenge a man's claim that more background checks aren't needed.
"I can buy a gun on the street three blocks from here quicker than I can at a gun show," testified Bill Dietrick of the Colorado State Shooting Association.
Dyer immediately reached into his pocket, took $110 from his wallet, and thrust the money into Dietrick's face.
"Let's go," Dyer said. "You say you can buy a gun within three blocks. Let's see you do it. Let's go right now."
Sen. MaryAnne Tebedo, R-Colorado Springs, quickly ended the confrontation, which clearly showed the void between the pro- and anti-gun control forces.
"I guess I had an Irish moment," Dyer said after the hearing. "You hear all of this bull. I just wanted to call his bluff."
Sen. Pat Pascoe, D-Denver, was challenged by Republican critics of her SCR 9, which was similar to a measure killed earlier in the House.
"I'm not surprised," she said afterwards. "It's always not much fun to go through the harassment from the anti-gun-control folks."
Sens. Tebedo and Jim Congrove, R-Arvada, said they considered Pascoe's proposal for registration of firearms and questioned whether background check information would be kept secret.
"There's a database out there of who, what, where and when and that bothers people," Congrove said.
Federally licensed dealers who sell weapons at gun shows are already required to run background checks on buyers, but private sellers are not. That creates a loophole for criminals and underage people to buy guns, says SAFE Colorado members and others.
Arnie Grossman, a leader of SAFE Colorado, said he remains optimistic that the measure will get on the ballot in November.
Another hearing on the wording of the ballot initiatitive, which has been challenged by anti-gun-control groups, is scheduled for Wednesday. The issue is likely to end up in court.
"I think they're looking for every possible technicality and flaw they can find, but I have not yet heard a single argument of substance that really could stop this process," Grossman said.
Contact John Sanko at (303) 892-5404 or sankoj@rockymountainnews.com.
------------------
The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
