Free Republic

AURORA, Colo. – Police have a “person of interest” in custody in connection with the robbery of the Wells Fargo back at 15301 E. Hampden Avenue Saturday afternoon. Immediately following the robbery, police closed the intersection of Iliff and Buckley after reports the suspect might have taken hostages. According to our crew on the scene, police stopped and searched nearly two dozen cars. The adult occupants of the vehicles were handcuffed during the investigation.

BASALT — A domestic dispute between a midvalley couple escalated into a high-speed car chase — with speeds reported at 110 mph — that ended with a five-vehicle crash in Basalt that law enforcement officials said easily could have led to tragedy. Jesenia Alvarez, 32, and Carlos Diaz, 36, both of the Blue Lake subdivision, are facing multiple charges in connection with the incident, which closed the eastbound lanes of Highway 82 at Willits Lane for 3 1/2 hours, according to the Basalt Police Department. They are being held in Pitkin County Jail. Basalt Sgt. Penny Paxton said Diaz and...

(CBS News) The U.S. Senate has yet to act on a so-called "concealed carry reciprocity" bill, which would let people with permits to carry a concealed weapon in their home state carry that weapon into virtually any other state. A similar bill has passed the House. Almost every state now allows the carrying of concealed weapons under certain conditions. Colorado, for example, has issued nearly 130,000 concealed handgun permits since 2003. Robert Paulson is getting his permit to carry a concealed gun and says other seniors should do the same. "Yeah, why not?" he asked. Aimee Galvin is thinking about...

DENVER—Colorado Sen. Mark Udall says President Barack Obama supports extending a tax break for wind energy that supporters say is vital to the state's wind-turbine industry. Udall, a Democrat, said Thursday that Obama's support is welcome.

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- On April 23, House Bill 1048 had its hearing in the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee and was postponed indefinitely by a 3 to 2 vote, effectively killing this bill for this year. HB 1048, introduced by state Representative Mark Waller (R-15), would eliminate the duplicative state-run Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) InstaCheck system for the purchase of firearms and solely utilize the existing National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Senate President Brandon Shaffer (D-17) ignored the wishes of the thousands of NRA members who called the state capitol in support of a fair...

Photo by James Baca/Denver Catholic Register DENVER, CO, April 23, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Prayerbooks, rosaries, and pro-life pamphlets are a common sight outside Planned Parenthood’s massive facility in downtown Denver, but this year, local organizers of this spring’s Forty Days for Life campaign decided that one last piece was missing to bring the light of Christ to the country’s second largest abortion facility: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The idea to celebrate the Catholic Mass in front of Planned Parenthood came from Fr. Joseph Hearty, Assistant Pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in nearby Littleton, who felt...

“9-year-old suspended after he says he stood up to a bully,” a Fox 31 Denver report informs us Third-grader Nathan Pemberton “was kicked out of school Tuesday after he says he stood up to a bully who was beating him up.” “One kid kicked me in the back, then punched me in the face. Then I punched him in the face, and then I got in trouble,” he says.” The school has a “no tolerance” policy that results in an automatic suspension, regardless of who started a fight. In other words, children are required by law to attend—under legal truancy...

A 3-year-old is back with his parents after he knocked on a stranger's door in the middle of the night following the hijacking of his father's car at a Colorado Springs, Colo., convenience store with him in the back seat.

THE COLORADO SUPREME COURT put some noses out of joint when it ruled unanimously this month that the University of Colorado's campus gun ban violated a 2003 state law that entitles residents with permits to carry concealed weapons. One of those noses belonged to Abraham Nowels, a University of Colorado student who wrote to the Denver Post: "We're in the middle of midterms right now, and I can't think of anything I'd rather be focusing on than which of my fellow over-stressed, binge-drinking peers is carrying a concealed weapon into class with me." The Post agreed, pleading in an editorial...

DENVER (AP) — A challenge to Colorado's law allowing concealed gun permits for residents only is going before a federal appeals court.

DENVER -- The owner of a check cashing business who was targeted by two robbers last night, said he's lucky to be alive. John, who requested that his last name not be used, said he had just closed up shop at OK Check Cashing Service at 1991 West Evans Ave. when he was confronted by a man with a gun. "I got in my car and set my lunchbox on the passenger seat," he said. "Then I heard banging on my window and saw a man with a gun pointing at me trying to open the door." He described the...

DENVER -- The owner of a Denver check cashing business was shot in the hand during a gunfight with two armed robbers Wednesday night. Police said the businessman had just closed the OK Check Cashing store for the night at 1991 West Evans Ave., when he was he was approached by two suspects who demanded his money, shortly after 8 p.m. The business owner drew his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the suspects, police said. He was hit in the hand and the two suspects fled in a vehicle. Police said the two robbers remain at large. Crime Stoppers is...

Second Amendment advocates on the federal and state stages can take a cue from Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national organization fighting for a fundamental civil right on university and college campuses. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus won a huge victory on March 4, when the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed a lower-court ruling that a policy on four Colorado state university campuses that banned handguns for everyone but law-enforcement officers was unlawful. The ruling follows an Oregon Court of Appeals decision in late September that overturned a longstanding rule of the state university system, which, like Colorado,...

A Colorado CEO is accused of luring foreigners to the United States to work for a nonexistent university and then stealing portions of their salaries after setting them up with other jobs in what the government has called an "elaborate scheme." Kizzy Kalu, 47, of Highlands Ranch, Colo., allegedly enticed foreign nurses to work as teachers at an Adam University in Denver, an institution that Kalu's alleged accomplice, Philip Langerman, 77, of McDonough, Ga., made up, according to a federal indictment. Langerman was also indicted, but remains at large. -excerpt- Kalu is the chairman and CEO of Global Energy Initiatives...

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled. That means rapists, muggers and other criminals should listen up. Students at the University of Colorado are no longer sitting ducks, thanks to legal activism by a group of students from the Colorado Springs campus. Students are no longer rendered vulnerable by an idiotic gun ban that only threatened the safety of innocent, law-abiding students and university employees. Among thousands of students on any public Colorado campus will be a few who secretly carry weapons and know how to use them, in defense of themselves and others. That’s not how the University of Colorado...

DENVER — Courts are ruling in favor of allowing those with concealed-carry permits to bring their handguns on campus, but universities are figuring out ways to keep the guns out. Gun rights advocates recently notched major legal victories in Colorado and Oregon, with courts in both states agreeing that university policies banning firearms on campus must defer to state laws allowing permit holders to carry concealed handguns. In response, however, university officials in Oregon and Virginia have enacted policies allowing concealed carry on campus but not in buildings, including classrooms, dormitories, event centers and dining halls. The result is that...

DENVER — Colorado Senate Democrats rejected legislation to expand self-defense protections for businesses, saying Monday the proposal would give too much leeway to use deadly force against suspected intruders. "This dramatically changes self-defense," said Sen. Rollie Heath, a Democrat from Boulder.

From Colorado's Boulder Camera newspaper: The Colorado Supreme Court today ruled that University of Colorado students and employees with concealed carry permits are able to carry their weapons on campus. Colorado's highest court sided with Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a gun-rights group that sued CU and argued that a 1994 university policy banning concealed weapons from its campuses violates state gun laws. "It's a great victory for gun rights, and civil rights in general," said James Manley, the attorney with Mountain States Legal Foundation who represented the gun-rights group. "CU will now have to fall in line and...

The Colorado Supreme Court today ruled that University of Colorado students and employees with concealed carry permits are able to carry their weapons on campus. Colorado's highest court sided with Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a gun-rights group that sued CU and argued that a 1994 university policy banning concealed weapons from its campuses violates state gun laws. "It's a great victory for gun rights, and civil rights in general," said James Manley, the attorney with Mountain States Legal Foundation who represented the gun-rights group. "CU will now have to fall in line and follow the state law." In...

A proposed bill that would allow law-abiding Colorado gun owners to carry a concealed firearm without a concealed carry permit would be dangerous and would shoot down important gun training, two local firearms instructors said Sunday. Leonard Jimenez, president of the Pueblo Municipal Shooters, and Patrick Watts, a retired Arizona sheriff's deputy and firearms instructor, said education is the only safe way for people to understand concealed weapons laws. Watts held a four-hour seminar on the subject at the shooter's club Sunday. The state's current law prohibits carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a weapon on school, college or university...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) ' A Colorado doctor with a concealed-weapon permit said he grabbed his gun and guarded an exit at a medical building as dozens of people fled from a gunman who had taken two hostages.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say they are reviewing court summonses at the Aurora Detention Center in an effort to identify deportable illegal immigrants.

As I noted last Fall, Colorado courts have treated the Colorado Constitution’s right to keep and bear arms provision as substantially protecting felons’ rights to keep guns for self-defense — an approach quite different from that used by the U.S. Supreme Court in interpreting the Second Amendment, or by other states’ courts interpreting those states’ constitutions. Today’s State v. Carbajal (Colo. Ct. App. Mar. 1, 2012) reaffirms that. An excerpt: In 1876, the new State of Colorado adopted a constitution that included a provision in its bill of rights establishing a right to keep and bear arms in defense of...

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The owner of a check cashing store in Lakewood shot one suspect and scared off another during a robbery attempt Saturday evening, police said. At around 7 p.m., two suspects entered Cambio De Cheques on the corner of Colfax and Reed. “The store owner reported that two males approached him as he was closing his business for the evening, sprayed him with mace and then tried to take the money he was carrying,” said Lakewood Police Det. Ryan McKone The owner shot one suspect in the leg. The other suspect fled the scene. “The suspects in this...

The owner of a pit bull and a boxer involved in a fatal dog shooting Thursday was cited Friday on suspicion of two counts of unlawful ownership of a dangerous animal, said Erica Meyer a Humane Society spokeswoman. The incident happened around 4 p.m. Thursday at a house on Portrait Place in northeast Colorado Springs. Bud Linton, who owns a german shepherd, said the two dogs had jumped his 6-foot fence and were fighting with his dog, Max. Linton said he coaxed max into the house when the boxer and pit bull chased after a neighbor and her two small...

DENVER (AP) -- House lawmakers approved a bill to forbid the state from seizing Colorado residents' firearms during a declared state of emergency. Republican House Leader Amy Stephens says the bill is about emergency preparedness. The proposal passed the Republican-led House Monday with bipartisan support but it's likely to be defeated in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

AURORA | No matter the season, the year, or the weather, customer interest in the rack of guns at Pasternack’s Pawn Shop in Aurora rarely changes. Typically, the shop on East Colfax Avenue near Dayton Street sells 25 guns each month, said Scott Pasternack, the owner. And while the last six months have seen a spike, Pasternack said reasons for it are a mystery. “I think it’s just the uncertainty of times we’re in, predictions like the Mayan calendar, world ending, all kinds of different things,” Pasternack said with a laugh. But six miles west at the State Capitol, the...

DENVER — Republicans moved forward with a proposal to let businesses use deadly force against intruders, one of a handful of GOP proposals being heard Thursday aimed at expanding gun rights.

DENVER -- Denver police say a home intruder was shot and killed and a resident was wounded as the two men struggled over a gun early Wednesday. Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said a man was awakened about 2:20 a.m. by an intruder in his home at 3469 W. Ninth Ave. As the resident and the intruder struggled over the gun, several shoots were fired striking both men, Jackson said. It wasn't clear who owned the gun. Quantcast The intruder died at the scene, Jackson said. The resident, who was wounded in his lower torso and leg, was transported to...

Colorado --(Ammoland.com)- As you may know, Colorado state law doesn’t allow a taxpayer-funded facility to ban concealed carry (i.e. they think you shouldn’t be able to defend yourself). Based on that law, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners filed a complaint against Colorado State University two years ago, and won. This week, the same lawyer who filed against CSU again represented Rocky Mountain Gun Owners members by filing a lawsuit against Northern Colorado Medical Center (NCMC) in Greeley. NCMC is a county-owned hospital, and bans permit holders (in fact, all firearms) from entering that facility, though they do not have the required...

The White HouseOffice of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release January 25, 2012 Statements on the President’s State of the Union Address Colorado Governor Hickenlooper “The President tonight hit a tone about working together that is familiar to Coloradans. People here know that partisanship is a significant roadblock to partnership. We must use collaboration as a means to finding solutions to keep pushing our state and our country closer to full economic recovery. “We join the President in the pursuit of unnecessary regulations that handcuff aspiring entrepreneurs, and we applaud his support of great teachers and our nation’s military.

DENVER | A proposal to let Colorado residents carry concealed weapons without a permit failed Monday over concerns that it would make it easier for criminals and the mentally ill to have guns in public places. A Senate committee rejected the bill on a 3-2 party-line vote, with Democrats voting against it. It's the second year in a row the proposal has failed, but identical legislation is still running in the Republican-controlled House.

A legislative measure to extend in-state tuition benefits to undocumented students may get an endorsement from the University of Colorado -- key support from the flagship school that was missing last year when a similar bill was introduced. Joe Neguse, D-Boulder, said he's considering bringing a resolution forward to his colleagues on the Republican-controlled board. Tillie Bishop, a Republican from Grand Junction, could be the swing vote the Democrats need for an endorsement. Last year, Bishop told the Camera he didn't support the legislation, saying illegal students shouldn't be given tuition perks when out-of-state students in the country legally are...

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DENVER — Colorado Republicans are reloading their holsters on attempts to expand gun rights. Some of their proposals this year are ideas that Democrats have rejected in the past. Republicans are trying to give business owners and employees the power to use deadly force against intruders. Another proposal would allow people to have a concealed weapon at schools or colleges if a person has a legal permit.

In a major step towards global centralization of election processes, the world's dominant Internet voting company has purchased the USA's dominant election results reporting company. When you view your local or state election results on the Internet, on portals which often appear to be owned by the county elections division, in over 525 US jurisdictions you are actually redirected to a private corporate site controlled by SOE software, which operates under the name ClarityElections.com. The good news is that this firm promptly reports precinct-level detail in downloadable spreadsheet format. As reported by BlackBoxVoting.org in 2008, the bad news is that...

Utah had its Sheriff Mack. Maricopa County, Arizona has Sheriff Joe Arpaio. But Colorado Springs, Colorado has Terry Maketa. In November 2011, Sheriff Maketa of El Paso County, Colorado, along with its five County Commissioners struck a blow for freedom and the Constitutional rights of citizens. These six signed a proclamation affirming the right to Habeas Corpus which the National Defense Authorization Bill or Senate Bill 1867 removed when it was signed into law by President Obama. The proclamation which has gone viral, affirms that the local sheriff, who is any county’s top cop, can override actions taken by the...

The feds continue to target medical marijuana dispensaries which otherwise are operating in accordance with state law. In Colorado federal prosecutors gave 23 dispensaries which are operating within 1,000 feet of a school 45 days to shut down or face criminal prosecution as reported by John Ingold for The Denver Post. They issued an identical ultimatum to medical marijuana dispensaries in California last October. The threats are not idle. The feds yesterday filed suit "to seize the building of a Sacramento dispensary, charging the marijuana store violated federal laws against drug transactions near schools" as reported by Peter Hecht for...

DENVER — Sen. Angela Giron on the first day of the new legislative session Wednesday introduced a modified version of a bill that failed last year proposing to afford illegal immigrants in-state college tuition rates. The Pueblo Democrat’s revamped proposal, SB15, mirrors last year’s bill in that it would allow Colorado high school graduates who have been in the country much of their lives and are pursuing legal citizenship to attend state colleges at the resident rate, but would not grant them state College Opportunity Fund dollars. “None of us want to create an underclass of people,” Giron said. “The...

AURORA, Colo. -- One person was killed and three wounded in a gunfight at a check-cashing-tobacco store in Aurora on Friday afternoon. The gunfire erupted during an apparent robbery of the store, according to police. "Two suspected robbers were shot as well as two employees in the store," said Aurora police spokeswoman Cassidy Carlson. She said two armed men entered the business with the intention of robbery and were spotted by two employees, but it is too early to determine who fired first. A witness told 7NEWS reporter Marc Stewart that a wounded gunman fell to ground near a trash...

ohnny Harbour is being recognized for his quick reaction and restraint after holding a burglar at gunpoint until Sheriff Deputies arrived. He only told his story to KKTV 11 News. Harbour is now back at work after a heart-pumping experience at his home. “I was asleep and heard a loud noise, it woke me up. Then I continued to hear the noise so I just automatically picked up my gun,” said Harbour. Harbour told 11 News the burglar got into his home around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday night after ripping off a screen from a window. The window was accidentally...

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — The commanding officer of a Navy squadron attached to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson became the 22nd Navy skipper fired this year after Navy officials lost confidence in his ability to command, the service announced. Cmdr. Jonathan Jackson, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 134, was fired Thursday by Rear Adm. Thomas Shannon, commander of Carrier Strike Group 1, after an investigation revealed Jackson had violated the Navy’s sexual harassment policy by “creating and condoning an intimidating, hostile and offensive work environment,” according to a Navy news release.

Newt Gingrich has dominent leads among Republican voters in both North Carolina and Colorado. In fact, Gingrich is the first candidate outside of his or her home state that PPP has ever found with an actual majority of the primary vote in any one state.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - The Coroner says another man who died last Friday in a separate shooting suffered from a gun shot wound to the head and has ruled it a homicide. Though, Colorado's "Make my Day" law could keep the shooter from serving any time behind bars. The incident happened the day after Thanksgiving on Indiana Street in Orchard Mesa. According to Mesa County Sheriff Office, two men were in the home when Jesus Ray Sanchez Jr. tried to force his way into their home. Colorado's "Make my Day" law gives citizens the right to use deadly force...

“Patrick Sullivan was such a popular sheriff that Arapahoe County renamed the jail after him when he retired,” ABC News reports. “Sullivan, arrested on drug charges this week, is now an inmate in the Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility.” What happened? The former top cop in Arapahoe County, which includes Littleton, Colo., is facing charges that he planned to distribute methamphetamine after police found him allegedly offering to trade the drug for sex with a man. Curious. Pathetic and sad, if true. And outrageous for those of us who do not face such inner demons, or display such profound...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A soldier and his wife stopped a robbery on Tuesday night when the soldier pulled a gun on the assailants and fired, police said. The husband and wife had just been transferred from Fort Hood to Colorado Springs. They were taking a walk in their new neighborhood at 10 p.m. when they were approached by two masked assailants, police said. When the assailants ordered the soldier and his wife to the ground, the soldier told police he pulled out his handgun. The soldier told police the men started to run off, but when one of them...

DENVER, Colo. (CBS4) – A CBS4 investigation has learned that former Arapahoe County Sheriff Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. has been arrested, suspected of trafficking methamphetamine, a controlled substance. Sullivan, 68, was the elected Arapahoe County Sheriff for 19 years. He retired in 2002 and went on to become director of safety and security for Cherry Creek Schools. He was a nationally-regarded law enforcement figure and in 2001 as the National Sheriff Association named Sullivan “Sheriff of the Year.”

TRINIDAD, Colo. -- A second man believed to have been with an alleged intruder who was shot and killed by a homeowner has turned himself in to police. Trinidad police say a homeowner was awaken Saturday around 2 a.m. by the sound of a knock at the front door and the door being forced open. The homeowner said he believed there were three to four men who had forced their way into the home. The homeowner's wife hid in the bathroom when the homeowner was approached by one of the intruders in the bedroom. The homeowner grabbed his handgun and...

Inhaling low levels of CO reduces the impact of environmental stress, TAU researcher findsAccording to scientists, carbon monoxide (CO), a tasteless, colorless and odorless gas, is not only a danger to the environment but also highly toxic to human beings. Found in the exhaust of vehicles and generators, CO has been dubbed the "silent killer" because excessive inhalation is lethal, poisoning the nervous system and heart. Now, in a surprising twist, Prof. Itzhak Schnell of Tel Aviv University's Department of Geography and the Human Environment has discovered that low levels of the poisonous gas can have a narcotic effect that...

A one-vehicle accident on rural Highway 141 on Monday triggered a search through the desert for passengers and eventually led to the arrest of one man for suspicion of human smuggling and the pending deportation of four of the passengers. Juan Denys Hernandez Varenez, a Cuban national, has been charged with four counts of smuggling of humans, a class 3 felony. The San Miguel Sheriff’s Office suspects that he was smuggling four undocumented foreigners to the Denver area when the sedan he was driving crashed. All of the passengers, including a 20-year-old female from Grand Junction whose involvement is unknown,...

Ryan Lynch of Littleton, CO wanted to sell ‘high end’ and collectible guns from his home – which also happened to be a few blocks from Columbine Hills Elementary School. To open the new business, he needed a zoning variance from the Jefferson County Board of Adjustment, something that’s normally be a routine process. So when he appeared for his appointed meeting before the board to make his case for the variance, no one showed up to oppose the idea…except Steve Bell. When the board opened the floor for public comment, only one person rose to speak: Jeffco Schools Chief...