Six days before Colorado’s latest mass shooting, the suspect bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol at a gun store near his home. Seven days before an Arapahoe High School student killed a classmate in 2013, he picked up a 12-gauge shotgun at a Cabela’s store. One day before an 18-year-old allegedly obsessed with the Columbine murders […]
gun rights
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Gun control groups are investing millions in Colorado as gun rights spending has dramatically waned
Gun rights and gun control groups spent $15 million on congressional and state-level races in Colorado from 2012 to 2020, according to a Colorado Sun analysis. Gun-issue groups dropped an additional $2 million to lobby state lawmakers. The big spending is expected to continue this year following the shooting deaths of 10 people last month […]
Posted inColoradans, Election 2020, Politics and Government
How Lauren Boebert rose from unknown to a candidate for Congress to someone in Donald Trump’s orbit
Lauren Boebert blasted into Colorado politics at an Aurora rally with an in-your-face microphone moment and a gun. She emerged from the crowd at a rally for then presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke of Texas and grabbed the mic to shout, “Hell no, you’re not!” in response to O’Rourke’s pledge to take away assault-style weapons. That […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado Supreme Court upholds state’s law banning large-capacity gun magazines
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday upheld the state’s 7-year-old ban on gun magazines that hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition. Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a hard-line gun rights organization based in Colorado, challenged the large-capacity magazine law, arguing that it violates the state constitution. Specifically, the organization contended that the law goes against […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado gun owners who don’t safely store their weapons could face jail time under new bill
Colorado gun owners who don’t lock up or properly secure their weapons in homes where there are children or adults prohibited from accessing guns would be subject to jail time under legislation introduced Friday afternoon at the state Capitol. House Bill 1355 — a so-called safe storage measure — would also require gun shops to […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Recent mass shootings have renewed debate about universal background checks. Here’s how they’ve worked in Colorado.
A pair of mass shootings over the weekend in Texas and Ohio that left more than 30 dead reignited the national debate about gun violence and how to prevent it. One of the suggestions being floated once again is a federal universal background check for gun purchases and transfers. Thousands of private gun sales have […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News, Politics and Government
This is not Parkland: Douglas County, divided on guns but eager to prevent another school shooting, tries to find its voice
HIGHLANDS RANCH — For Kelly Murphy, the meeting was three years in the making, since a relative with mental illness got a gun and murdered a neighbor. Her resolve to stand up against gun violence solidified after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, when Murphy told herself that if teenagers could speak out on […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
8 pivotal moments that defined the 2019 legislative session in Colorado
The 2019 legislative session is one of the most consequential in recent memory — both in terms of the policy shifts under Democratic control and the drama at the state Capitol. From the first month, major legislation created huge fights between liberal and conservative lawmakers and even tension among Democrats as the party claimed its […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado Senate passes red flag gun bill, moving it one step from Gov. Jared Polis’ signature
The Colorado Senate on Thursday passed the so-called red flag gun bill, moving the measure within a step of Gov. Jared Polis’ desk, where he’s expected to sign it into law. House Bill 1177 cleared the chamber on an 18-17 vote. It now heads back to the House for approval of Senate amendments. Senate President […]