Posted on 02/10/2013 8:57:42 AM PST by Red Steel
DENVER — If Colorado is becoming the epicenter of the national debate on gun control, Colorado Springs is proving to be an interesting battleground for the issue.
The city is home to Democratic Senate President John Morse, who is proposing Colorado hold manufactures and sellers of military style assault weapons strictly liable for damages caused by the firearms.
It’s a move some are calling a back-door ban on semi-automatic rifles and others are calling an innovative step toward getting control of the deadly guns. Morse met Thursday in Denver with the president of the National Rifle Association.
Across the aisle from Morse in the Senate is a slew of Republicans from Colorado Springs, opposed to not only his proposal but almost everything Democrats have put on the table so far.
“There’s a delegation of one from Colorado Springs that’s pushing this and that’s John Morse,” said Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs. “These are extremely radical proposals that aren’t going to fix the problems.”
Lambert proposed his solution to gun violence — require businesses that prohibit guns on their premises to hire armed security guards. Democrats defeated that bill in committee.
“I offered a bill that would actually have helped fix some of these problems,” Lambert said.
So far, four of the eight bills in the Democrat’s gun-control package have been introduced as legislation. Morse is drafting his policy regarding assault weapons or semi-automatic guns.
One bill would ban future sales of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Another bill requires background checks for all sales of firearms, including gun transfers from one individual to another. A companion bill assesses fees for all background checks.
The fourth bill introduced Thursday was a ban on concealed carry on college campuses.
Rep. Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs, said when he was on the campaign trail he found many people were OK with reasonable regulation.
“People are either on the extreme right, or somewhere in the middle,” Exum said. “I don’t think it’s fair to say there shouldn’t be any gun legislation. The goal is we want to protect our public, without taking away anybody’s rights who have a gun.”
The problem Rep. Bob Gardner, a Republican, has with that balance is he has yet to see it on paper.
“Every version I’ve heard is either so riddled with exceptions to be meaningless, or is a complete invasion of people’s privacy,” Gardner said.
Gun country
According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, there were 22,693 active concealed carry permits in the county as of Jan. 8.
Bill Marsh, owner of Colorado School of Firearms, said his gun safety classes are booked through April.
His idea of good gun control is always using two hands to hold a pistol.
“Gun control is not going to help the situation,” Marsh said. “Criminals do not care about laws, in fact, they love to see gun free zones.”
But Marsh conceded some of the Democrat’s proposals were good ideas — particularly a proposal to prohibit using online courses to satisfy training required for concealed carry permits.
“Unless I can see that person handle a gun safely and be able to hit a target, they aren’t getting that certificate,” Marsh said.
He also supports the idea of creating a mental health database to screen gun buyers, a proposal Republicans said they would be willing to work on with Democrats to craft into good legislation.
“There’s a lot more to be gained by reform in the mental health treatment area,” Gardner said.
He said banning certain guns or high ammunition rounds does nothing to prevent incidents of mass violence, but identifying those at risk of carrying out such tragedies is a step in the right direction.
Haha, I love it. Libs always think people are on the extreme right, or somewhere in the middle...
That's what jumped out at me, too.
I guess you can tell where someone is standing by how they describe the view.
You can't single out one industry.
“Democratic Senate President John Morse, who is proposing Colorado hold manufactures and sellers of military style assault weapons strictly liable for damages caused by the firearms.
Really? That’s akin to holding auto manufacturers responsible for damage caused by drunk drivers; or, holding Moen, Delta, and Koehler responsible for shower scaldings; or, Pampers for diaper rash.
The ignorance, arrogance and absurdity of the left must truly be endless...
It's all just "common sense," don't you know?
Wonder if we can hold politicians in the government personally liable and responsible for bad decisions, false promises and lies?
After all, if they take away our ability to defend ourselves from criminals and because of some interpretation of a law or a judge that allows a perp to go free or because the police are too late at the scene of a crime, can we hold our leaders, legislators, judges, police, liable?
I could have sworn this was already decided in court.
As I recall, more than one Federal case in 90s or 80s that went against the losing gun grabbers. And there is a Federal law that protects gun manufacturers.
And here it is.
"When President George W. Bush signed the newly-passed Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (in pdf format) into law on October 26th, it marked a major victory for the National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers, who have been pushing for the legislation for years. It also marked a tremendous defeat for New York City and the many other cities that have pending lawsuits against the gun industry.
The law is specifically designed to end those lawsuits. It specifically exempts firearm manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers from civil liability for injuries and deaths caused by their products (it was quite a week for shielding big business, as the House of Representatives also passed the so-called “Cheeseburger Bill,” which prohibits lawsuits against fast food restaurants for causing obesity). While the law allows lawsuits in the case of a defective gun or criminal conduct by a manufacturer or dealer, it prohibits lawsuits of the kind filed by numerous individuals and municipalities, including New York City, and calls for any pending suits to be dismissed immediately.
The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act is also likely to frustrate local efforts to control the flow of guns into New York City. The City Council passed a law in January (in pdf format) that allows victims of gun violence to sue gun manufacturers and dealers who have not adopted strict standards to prevent illegal trafficking...."
A Conservative Colorado legislator needs to draw up a standard amendment to be submitted against every 2nd Amendment infringing bill submitted by the gun-grabbers.
The Amendment should state that any legislator who votes to infringe upon the 2nd Amendment rights of Colorado citizens be held personally liable for any death, damages (physical or emotional), or loss of property and/or any other monetary losses that can be attributed to the law passed by their vote.
Additionally, such liability shall apply to any and all persons and organizations providing material and/or monetary support for the passage of the 2nd Amendment infringing law.
There shall be no time limit on such liability against the legislator, or the supporting persons, and organizations, even after the legislator has vacated the office held when the vote to pass the law was cast.
Such a model Amendment should be passed to other Conservative legislators all around the country for their use.
Whats good for the Goose is good for the Gander, take it to the Rats every way possible.
--need to go back a little farther.
There was a case where a bullet fragment allowed the determination of direction of the rifling twist--right or left. An award was made, apportioned out among the pistol manufacturers percentage of sales, with the "winner" paying the most and lesser sellers the least---it was settled out of court as so many of these nuisance lawsuits are --
--such stuff provided the impetus for the manufacturer's protection legislation---
--much of the really bad anti-firearms judicial decisions came out of the court of one Judge Jack Weinstein , who was notorious in his anti-gun attitude. He is now retired and dead, IIRC---
Will John Morse also introduce a bill making Ford responsible for auto accident damage involving Ford vehicles, and for speeding tickets and other infractions involving Ford vehicles???
Any state that supports gun bans should be blocked from buying guns and ammo of any type for its agencies. Only after the outcry and massive backlash will these idiots be halted in their march towards opression
Yes, Republicans are apparently planning to make a deal. Remember that Obama was elected due, in part, to large parts of the conservative electorate being disenfranchised in the past.
Excerpts from the list of “National Organizations With Anti-Gun Policies” (deleted at the NRA-ILA site today, don’t know why, can be found elsewhere on the Net). The following are only excerpts from the list (search).
http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=51640
American Counseling Association
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
American Psychological Association
Black Mental Health Alliance
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Community Health Centers
Ambulatory Pediatric Association
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing
American Medical Women`s Association
American Medical Student Association
American Medical Association
American Association for the Surgery of Trauma
American Trauma Society
American Medical Association
American Counseling Association
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for World Health
American Nurses Association
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
American Public Health Association
Association of American Medical Colleges
Black Mental Health Alliance
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Black Nurses` Association
National Association of Chain Drug Stores
National Assembly of National Voluntary Health & Social Welfare Organizations
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & Practitioners
National Association of Public Hospitals
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Children`s Hospitals and Related Institutions
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Community Health Centers
National Council on Family Relations
National Organization on Disability
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Society of Critical Care Medicine
Related corporations:
BJC Health Systems
Blue Cross Blue Shield - Kansas City
General American - St. Louis (insurance)
Health Midwest
ICN Biomedicals
SSM Health System - St. Louis
Unity Health - St. Louis
Those are only excerpts from the list—excerpts being organizations concerned with mental issues and banning firearms possession for all.
I keep telling my favorite Leftist: “everyone thinks they’re in the center”.
The Demoncrats are out there. They can’t be bargained with. They can’t be reasoned with. They don’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop, ever, until your guns are banned.
Demoncrats, the Terminators of the 2nd Amendment.
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