Following Gov. Jared Polis’ signing of the sweeping gun ban measure last week, some Colorado sheriffs, who have opposed the bill all along, are still speaking out against the action.
The measure bans the sale of the most popular selling rifle in America—the Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR)—unless Coloradans obtain from their county sheriff approval, based on subjective criteria, a permit-to-purchase semi-automatic firearms capable of accepting detachable magazines.
Under the law, the sale of semi-automatic firearms capable of accepting a detachable magazine will be banned unless those purchasing the firearms are vetted by a local sheriff and complete a firearm certification course. Sheriff approval to apply for a permit-to-purchase is based on subjective criteria, which the U.S. Supreme Court expressly rejected Court in the 2022 Bruen decision.
“I am deeply disappointed in the Governor’s decision not to veto Senate Bill 25-003,” El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal said in a news release after the bill signing. “Public safety experts across the state opposed this legislation, as it will be burdensome on law-abiding citizens, and have no adverse effect on criminals.
Royball said that because of the law, small businesses across the state will have to close their doors, and individuals looking to purchase firearms for self-defense will now have to participate in a ‘permit-to-purchase’ system, saddling hard-working Coloradans with unnecessary fees, bureaucratic hurdles and a state-mandated registration when exercising their constitutional rights.
“It is clear those who hold the power in our state legislature are more interested in carrying out a political agenda, rather than sponsoring and voting for legislation which enhances public safety and preserves the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens,” he said. “Senate Bill 25-003 will do nothing to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and put small businesses out of business in Colorado.”
Roybal added that as the El Paso County sheriff, he is working to minimize the inconveniences for his citizens who wish to exercise their Second Amendment constitutional rights and purchase firearms while adhering to the law.
“I will communicate my plan to ensure the preservation and protection of El Paso County citizens’ ability to purchase firearms at a later date,” he concluded.
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell also spoke out after the signing, saying the new law is “going to be a nightmare.”
“This is going to be a heavy burden for everyone in law enforcement,” Mikesell said. “It will have no impact on criminal acts. It will have no effect on mental health impacts. This law is just really a bad law and is probably the worst in United States history.”
Mikesell added that since there are no guidelines in place yet, the burden will be on both gun owners and law enforcement personnel.
“The problem is the state doesn’t have guidelines on a vetting process yet,” he said. “So, the state doesn’t have guidelines on instructors yet. They have nothing set up, and they’re actually burdening the departments that have very few people.”
Like I said, the sheriff’s should just have a stack of pre-signed forms at the County Cop Check In. Pick them up, sign your name and go get your gun.
Sheriff has better more important things to do then deprive people from their constitutional rights.
Is there nothing preventing them from going into a neighboring state and purchasing these items there?
The ATF prevents that in recent years.
FFLs selling to people from out of state are required to follow the rules of the State for which the purchaser/would-be purchaser presents an ID or they can lose that FFL.
The ATF is hardcore enough about it that some vendors simply won’t sell in-person if they find out you’re from a certain state, as I discovered in TN a couple months back. Bud’s Guns retail store told me, basically, to fuck off. No sales of anything that was mostly metal, only soft-goods not including armor carriers. So, holsters and slings and nothing else. They altered the “metal” rules on the spot to include polymer mags.
They were willing to sell online but not in person. Not even optics in-person.
I was like “Uh, what? This rifle is 100% legal in Colorado, I just don’t want to pay the sales tax to a government that hates me” to which they said they didn’t care (another person also called me a liar and incorrectly said the rifle wasn’t legal in Colorado and that I was just trying to get them to help me break the law).
Another FFL explained that it was because certain localities within Colorado (Boulder/Denver) banned it and they didn’t know if a person from Colorado might be within that jurisdiction and that they weren’t willing to take the time to figure it out but someone else might.
A 3rd FFL was willing to sell me whatever, once they looked up the law and made sure they were complying with it, down to mapping the address on my ID.
The gun world, including gun-store employees, is full of people who don’t really GAF about the 2A and don’t have a fucking clue what the laws are in various states but will claim that they do. They have a list of “don’t sell to” and they simply don’t. Which, I suppose is fine, but don’t call me a liar when you can’t quote the statute (because it doesn’t exist). At that point you kinda deserve a severe beating.
It was interesting to note that Bud’s and several other vendors had a list that included Florida on a list of “under no circumstances” due to FL’s waiting period. If someone’s willing/able to wait for a the time period, it’s legal to sell to them. I’m not sure why you’d blackball the state.
Oh I forgot, Strych9 says wont work on pre- signed forms because of fingerprints.
Double WOW you have to give government your fingerprints to exercise your constitutional rights.
Our Freedoms aren’t a whole lot freer then some other countries are they.
Today I’m wearing blue underwear and I wiped my ass with Charmin, but I guess they already new that.
Well, since you didn’t ask, they also want your left nut. From the women too.
I swear, I’m a gonna slap the next person who claims that Colorado “isn’t all that bad” about being anti-constitutional rights.
Under the metrics used by Freedom in the 50 States, the state has gone from being rated the 2nd most free in the nation in 2014 to 19th, thanks to two successive Democrat governors, Hickenlooper and Polis.
From 2nd to 12th under Hickenlooper, 12th to 19th under Polis.
Now we’re worse than Texas which is at #17 (as I point out all the time, ain’t Conservative and basically never has been).
On the plus side, there are parts of the GOP that are starting to wake up to the fact that they can’t just keep doing what they’re doing and expect that the Dems will faceplant and lose.
I may have to detour through Oklahoma the next time I go to New Mexico
If your state has constitutional carry you dont need a license to carry in Oklahoma.
True reciprocation, that’s the way it should be nation wide .
I’m from Ohio and I thought our governor looked like a dork. This guy though….wow….. he needs a clown suit
“So, the state doesn’t have guidelines on instructors yet. They have nothing set up, and they’re actually burdening the departments that have very few people.”
Yeah, in CO legislator’s eyes, this is a feature not a flaw. WA state is in the process of passing legislation almost exactly like this and the longer it takes to get any of this un-funded infrastructure in place is a win in a progressive politician’s book.
Any group of Sheriffs arresting the twit?
They should. It would guarantee their re-elections.
Hell’s bells, I’d donate to their campaigns…and I don’t even live in Colorado. I crossed it off my list when they made it illegal for livestock owners to shoot prairie dogs. Those are the little ground-rats that dig holes for horses and cattle to break their legs in.
I’m with you yes the state police are technically the governor’s bodyguards, but why can’t sheriffs arrest any polutician for not doing thier ‘SWORN’ duty aren’t they too breaking the law
The same side enacting these laws are the same side that calls for decarceration and defunding the police.
The same side enacting these laws are the same side that accuses the police of habitually hunting down and gunning down unarmed Black men.
The same side enacting these laws are the same side that accuses the criminal justice system of being systemically racist.
My longtime Usenet ally, Christopher Charles Morton, would have pointed this out.
No one’s interested in a gunfight against DPD, DCSD and CSP to try to arrest a who’s almost done and thereby screw up any chance of getting the Dems out of the Governor’s Mansion next year.
The guy who’s the Dem front runner in the primaries at this point makes Polis look more Right wing than Genghis Khan.
One of the reasons Genghis Khan thought eastern china would make a good horse pasture was because there were no prairie dogs there.
Is this guy related to “Bearclaw” Vindman? Looks mighty similar. Great minds and all that.