“We are taking a measured approach that respects the rights of hunters and sportsmen,” said House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver. By now we’ve heard that talking point, designed to separate the bulk of America’s lawful gun owners from hunters, ad nauseum. The line’s been repeated by everyone advocating civilian disarmament from the commander in chief down to the lowliest New York asemblyman. Looks like Colorado Speaker Ferrandino got the memo, too. His legislative minions, though, have stopped short of an outright ban on “assault weapons.” Instead, Colorado gun-grabbers are taking a slightly different approach to regulating them. They’ve decided to “hold manufacturers and sellers of assault-style weapons legally liable for damage inflicted with such firearms” . . .
It may come as a surprise to Centennial State lawmakers that federal law has protected firearms manufacturers and gun dealers against liability suits since 2005. As for exposing individual gun owners to civil liability, the law would mean a de facto ban on the regulated guns by forcing Joe and Jane Gunowner to buy liability insurance in order to own an AR.
But that’s only the beginning of what they have in mind. According to denverpost.com, here’s a list of some of the other civilian disarmament measures on Colorado Dems’ wish list:
• Limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds;
• Stricter notification requirements so that mental health professionals can identify mentally ill people who pose a risk and then notify officials to put them into the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s gun background check database;
• Strengthening laws to prevent those with domestic violence convictions or protection orders against them from buying firearms;
• Imposing fees for gun background checks, which now are conducted for free;
• Requiring in-person training for concealed-weapons permits, which now can be obtained through online courses;
• Requiring universal background checks on all gun sales, something Democrats say can be done without gun registration;
• Banning concealed weapons on college campuses.
Colorado’s Democrat Governor John Hickenlooper’s been cagey on the proposals. So far, he’s only said he supports the universal background checks and, according to a spokesman, “is open to a discussion about magazine limits and other ideas designed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.” In other words, with Democrats holding both houses of the legislature and the Governor’s office, Colorado may be the new New York.