A Sad Vote on the Tenth Anniversary
.On this tenth anniversary of Columbine, I’m sad to report that a bill is making its way through the Colorado legislature that would weaken our gun show background checks.
House Bill 1180 allows people with a concealed carry weapon (CCW) permit to BYPASS a background check when they buy a gun by simply showing their permit.
Supporters of 1180 say that those with concealed weapons permits already go through a background check, so why repeat it? The problem is, CCW permits are good for FIVE years. A lot can happen in five years, and law enforcement isn’t always made aware of law breaking by permit holders.
More important, each county sheriff issues the permits, so each has a different look. The sheriffs and police chiefs associations testified that the permits could easily be counterfeited. Even if a gun dealer suspected a CCW permit was a fake, they can’t call the sheriff and verify a permit’s authenticity because these permits private records, not open to the public. That means a sheriff is prohibited from verifying them!
HB 1180 creates a new gun purchase loophole. Didn’t Columbine teach us to close loopholes, not open them? 70% of Coloradans voted yes on Amendment 22 in 2000 and closed the ‘gun show loophole,’ saying they wanted ALL gun buyers at a gun show to first pass a background check. Now we’re going the opposite direction. It’s a sad day.
And who brought it about? In a recent Senate vote, all Republicans voted for the bill, as expected. They dare not stray from the death grip of the NRA.
What was really disappointing was that three Democrats voted for the bill, even though voters in their districts overwhelmingly voted in favor of Amendment 22. The three were Senators Lois Tochrop (who ALWAYS votes with the NRA) , Gail Schwartz and Abel Tapia. Tochrop’s vote was no surprise, but the votes of Schwartz and Tapia were very disappointing, especially coming right before the tenth anniversary of Columbine.
And it was also disappointing that Columbine’s Senator, Mike Kopp, voted for the bill. That’s no surprise. He has written that he ‘supports no gun control. Period.” But it was more disappointing that he never responded to my call or email asking for his reaction to the weaknesses of the bill.
