House Conservatives kill potential 18-21 year old gun ban;
NRA - Missing in Action ... AGAIN!
Monday, Feb. 14, 2000 -- In a huge victory for your gun rights, State Reps. Scott McKay and Mark Paschall took our battle to the House floor, fighting against House Bill 1272 on Third Reading.
Though most insiders expected the bill to pass, McKay and Paschall convinced 37 lawmakers (4 more than needed) that HB1272 by Rep. Dorothy Gotlieb (R-Denver) was simply a Trojan Horse that could usher in a gun ban for 18-21 year olds. The bill would have made Colorado law mirror federal law, barring anyone under 21 years of age from purchasing a handgun from a licensed dealer. The danger, McKay and Paschall (as well as RMGO) argued, is that it could easily be amended to include an all-out gun ban for 18-21 year olds, something Governor Bill Owens has been pushing.
NRA too afraid to fight (once again)
When the bill was being debated on the House floor on Friday, RMGO staff had asked the NRA to get involved against the bill in an effort to unite the gun groups against gun control. Instead, lawmakers reported that the NRA did nothing to kill the bill, instead making claims that the NRA had "promises" from known liberal politicians that amendments wouldn't be allowed. Gun control through compromise almost won the day, had it not been for the heroics of two House members and activists who put enormous pressure on the legislature to kill ALL gun control, not just the bills on which the NRA hadn't cut some kind of deal.
Once again, in the fight in Colorado this year the NRA was Missing in Action (MIA).
The defeat of HB1272 proves that when we fight gun control bills, gunnies win. So why is the NRA so reluctant to fight, and so quick to cut deals? RMGO wishes it knew.
It seems NRA lobbyists are more interested in keeping "access" to make "deals" than fighting gun control bills. Yes, they might lose some fights where everyone can see, but they'd also win a lot more of the most important battles. And then, their action in the legislature would be consistent with their direct mail.
Remember Wayne LaPierre: one week he is raising money with the phrase "jack-booted thug" and the next week his organization is actively supporting an $18 million budget increase for the ATF.
"Were we able to get the NRA actively involved against ALL the gun control bills in the Capitol, none of it would pass," said RMGO Chairman Damien Veatch. "Instead, the NRA makes deals with the politicians and expects them to stick, trusting those well-known to be untrustworthy."
Republicans voting for HB1272 (and against our rights) were:
Debbie Allen (NRA "A" rated)
Gayle Berry (NRA "A+" rated)
Dorothy Gotlieb (NRA "A" rated)
Bill Kaufman (NRA "A" rated)
Mark Larson
Joyce Lawrence (NRA "A+" rated)
Marcy Morrison (NRA "A" rated)
Joe Stengel (NRA "A" rated)
Bill Swenson (NRA "A" rated)
Steve Tool (NRA "B+" rated)
John Witwer (NRA "A" rated)
Russell George (NRA "A+" rated).
What's next?
Unfortunately, the CBI Brady Registration bill, SB125, passed the House overwhelmingly. But because of the changes while in the House, SB125 must go back to the full Senate for a final vote. Remember, SB125 allows the CBI to deny a firearms purchase until you are proven innocent, quite contrary to what most Americans assume is the process to practice a Constitutional right.
Call your State Senator today at 1-888-473-8136, or 303-866-2316 in the Metro area. Tell him or her to vote against SB125 because it makes citizens "Guilty until proven innocent."
