Hell, why not? Here's SAFE's puff-piece. This is the kind of stuff we get to deal with here in God's Country. Notice the slant? Hint - it's below.
"SAFE News
Newsletter of Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic -- Winter 2000
(formerly known as the Colorado Coalition Against Gun Violence) 1738 Wynkoop St Suite 1 Denver CO 80202 303-298-8001
Jim Brady in Denver March 6
Please join Jim Brady, survivor of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, for a reception at the downtown Denver Hyatt Hotel, 1750 Welton St on Monday, March 6. The private reception from
5:30-6:30pm is $500. The public reception from 6-8pm is $150, $50 for students. Proceeds will benefit SAFE Colorado. To get tickets, please call 303-563-7233.
The Play’s the Thing in which We’ll Catch the King
Please join us on Saturday, March 25 at 6:30pm for a reception followed at 8pm by the premiere of “Praying for Rain,” a powerful play about youth violence and responsibility put on by the Acoma Center, 1080 Acoma St in Denver. Tickets are $35, $20 for seniors and students. To make
reservations, please call 303-298-8001 or you can send a check made out to SAFE to 1738 Wynkoop St., Suite 1, Denver, CO 80202. (Please specify the number of tickets you are purchasing). Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. All proceeds will benefit SAFE
and Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Gun Violence Prevention Trainings for Talking to Kids about the Dangers of Firearms
Please attend one of the following two programs where we will unveil our
redesigned and strengthened training for talking to kids about guns. The trainings are on Tuesday, March 21 and Thursday, March 23 at Montview Presbyterian Church, 1980 Dahlia St from 6pm-9pm. Please call
303-298-8001 and reserve a place.
Next Meeting of SAFE
The next full membership meeting of SAFE is Wednesday, April 19 at 6:30pm at Montview Presbyterian Church, 1980 Dahlia St. All are welcome to attend! (editorial comment - can't help it - unless you have any other point of view)
MEGA-MERGER
The Colorado Coalition Against Gun Violence (CCAGV) and Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic (SAFE) have merged to form the largest group dedicated to gun violence prevention education and the passage of responsible gun laws in the state. The newly formed 501(c)(3) will operate under the name of SAFE and its new Co-Presidents
will be John Head and Arnie Grossman. Andrea Faley is Secretary and John Tromly is Treasurer. Members of the CCAGV will automatically become members of SAFE. SAFE, a 501(c)(3), will focus its efforts on
gun violence prevention education while SAFE Colorado, a 501(c)(4) will continue to lobby the legislature. SAFE and SAFE Colorado will work closely together and may soon be sharing an office.
Moms & Honorary Moms on the March
The Million Mom March (MMM), founded by a New Jersey woman after the Granada Hills, CA day care center shootings, plans to march on
Washington DC on Mothers' Day 2000 (May 14) to encourage the enactment of new gun control laws including background checks for all gun sales, handgun licensing & registration, handgun safety locks, and limits on handgun purchases to one per month. Kathleen Hopkins (303-629-8613) is
the Colorado Coordinator. Call her for contacts in out-state areas and for additional information.
Silent March to Political Conventions
The Silent March is a national citizens' campaign to illustrate the deadly toll inflicted by gun violence through the collection and display of shoes representing lives lost to firearms. (Some donated shoes are those of victims but most are purely symbolic.) Locally, the Children's
Services arm of the American Humane Association is spearheading an effort to collect 4223 pairs of shoes to represent the children killed by firearms nationwide in 1997. The shoes will be exhibited locally and then shipped for display at the national Republican and Democratic conventions this summer. You can donate a pair of shoes in the Silent March box at the American Humane Association, 63 Inverness Drive East,
Englewood. Or call Kristen Mahlin or Amy Winterfeld of AHA at 303-792-9900 for information on other local shoe collection sites during the months of February and March.
How to Identify your Elected Officials and Monitor the Legislature
To determine your legislators, visit www.vote-smart.com & enter your 9-digit zip code. (You can get the last 4 digits of your zip code at the site.) If you do not have web access, call 1-888-VOTE-SMART
(1-888-868-3762). Information about legislators and the current status
of bills is available on-line at www.state.co.us/gov_dir/stateleg.html,
or you can call the Bill Room, 303-866-3055.
A View from the Legislature
January hearings on gun legislation began on an inauspicious note. Rep. Sue Windel’s (Arvada) bill, HB 1245, to ban guns on school property suffered an early, resounding defeat in the House State Affairs
Committee. Keeping guns out of schools “will cause more deaths in
schools,” argued David Kopel, chief legislative point man against the
“gun prohibition movement.” Kopel, an Independence Institute fellow,
previously argued: “Gun control laws are dangerous because they divert
attention from illegitimacy as the major cause of crime.”
Raising the Age to 21 on Handgun Purchases at Gun Shows
Rep. Paul Zimmerman’s (Thornton) bill, HB 1220, would have raised the age for gun show handgun purchases to 21. He noted that the first, second and third highest number of homicides are committed by 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds. “I don’t know why we’re hearing all these gun bills,” protested Rep. Lois Tochtrop (Westminster). She remembered that on April 20 she was attending a committee hearing about selective service
registration at age 18. Other legislators also judged it unfair to deprive 18-year-olds of handguns when they are issued weapons in the military. The bill was killed.
Reinstating CBI Background Checks
The NRA influence was evident in the original draft of Sen. David Owen’s
(Greeley) bill, SB 125, to reinstate CBI background checks which were discontinued last year by the legislature. In Colorado, gun purchases are denied based on arrest record which does not sit well with the NRA.
Calling it unconstitutional to stop gun sales to arrestees,1 the NRA version of SB 125 placed the burden of proof on the state, forcing the gun-sale in three days if law enforcement proved unable to demonstrate
that there had been a conviction. Noting the danger to officers who would then have to retrieve the guns from those to whom they had been improperly sold, former state trooper Sen. Ken Arnold (Westminster)
fortunately succeeded in amending SB 125 to reflect current practice. The bill has passed both chambers in good shape.
Background Checks at Gun Shows
Rep. Ken Gordon’s (Denver) HB 1242 -- background checks on all gun sales at gun shows -- barely survived the House Judiciary committee even though all the guns used by the killers at Columbine came from gun
shows. Testimony by Robyn Anderson that it was “too easy” to buy the Columbine guns and that she would not have purchased them at all if she had been required to submit to a background check, led to the charge by
Rep. Shawn Mitchell (Broomfield) that she was being “opportunistically
manipulated” by gun control advocates. Gun advocates alleged that government efforts to establish a registry of gun owners is the prelude to gun confiscation. One invoked the “divinely ordained” Second Amendment. Another cited the “treason” of gun laws, asserting that the only way to legislate is by passage of constitutional amendments.
Firearms owners are “oppressed -- like Native Americans,” testified a gun control opponent. American Constitution Party leader Tim Leonard called background checks an infringement on “the ability of families to protect themselves.” “Driving is a privilege, firearm ownership is a right,” declared NRA lobbyist Bill Dietrick. The bill barely passed House Judiciary and despite the valiant efforts of Governor Bill Owens, it was killed in House Appropriations.
Nullifying Local Gun Ordinances
A preemption law favored by the NRA came in under the radar less than 24 hours before its hearing in committee, preventing the opposition, including Denver D.A. Bill Ritter, from testifying. The intent of Rep.
Lynn Hefley’s (Colo. Springs) HB 1289 is to nullify local gun ordinances like Denver’s assault weapons ban. David Kopel called it necessary to “protect minorities [gun owners] against oppressive majorities.” Rep.
Lola Spradley (Beulah) protested that Denver gun laws make gun carriers lawbreakers. She said fifth-graders had asked her why they couldn’t go through Denver.
Prohibiting Lawsuits Against Gun Manufacturers
Another preemptive NRA law (passed in 14 states last year) is the prohibition of lawsuits against gun manufacturers. Though Sen. Ron Teck’s (Grand Junction) SB 10 was killed in committee, Rep. Lauri Clapp’s (Englewood) HB 1208 passed the House and will be heard in the Senate State Affairs commitee. Tom Mauser, whose son was slain at
Columbine, testified on behalf of SAFE against the bill, noting that the
manufacturer of the TEC-DC9 marketed to criminals by touting the “difficulty of lifting fingerprints from the gun.” The manufacturer skirted the 1994 assault weapons ban by slightly modifying the gun and
renaming it the AB10 -- “AB” for after-ban. Sen. John Andrews (Englewood) argued that you would not hold a car maker liable for
accidents caused by drivers, dismissing the fact that cars are registered, drivers licensed and that there are virtually no safety regulations governing the gun industry.
Safe Storage
Sen. Pat Pascoe’s (Denver) safe storage bill was termed the “rapist protection act” by House Majority Leader Doug Dean (Colo Springs). Gun advocates who invoke stranger danger in order to persuade women that
they are safer with easy access to guns, commonly disregard the effect of adding guns to the domestic violence equation. Thirty-three percent of women murdered are killed by domestic partners according to a 1999
DOJ report. A sad note on this long day of gun bill hearings was the headline about the murder-suicide involving a family of five, leaving one survivor. A properly secured firearm will prevent unintentional
shootings and some crimes of passion.
Concealed-Carry Related Bills
Thanks to Sen. Dottie Wham’s (Denver) deciding vote, Sen. Mary Anne Tebedo’s (Colo. Springs) SB152 designed to permit concealed carry in every public venue was killed in the Senate Judiciary committee.
Willing to grant the benefit of the doubt to carriers of concealed guns, the House Judiciary committee passed Rep. Don Lee’s (Littleton) HB 1114 requiring secrecy surrounding the identity of concealed permit holders, even if they commit a crime. Rep. Joyce Lawrence (Pueblo) defended her vote, protesting that permit holders are “not pedophiles,” but “law-abiding citizens.” In response to testimony by a Colorado Press
Association representative urging open records to prevent abuses by license issuers, Lawrence conveyed her distrust of the media. Despite testimony by Anne Coakley that her daughter was mortally wounded by a concealed carry permit holder whose gun discharged through the common
wall of the apartment, some expressed more concern for the safety of concealed carriers who might be “stalked” if it were known they had a gun on them.
LAWMAKERS WEIGH-IN ON GUNS
Assistant Senate Majority Leader Ken Chlouber (Leadville): “I’m going
to encourage my colleagues to join me in not supporting those anti-gun, anti-freedom bills.”2 Reps. Dianne Hoppe (Sterling) and Lois Trochtop (Westminster) said they
would probably oppose background checks at gun shows.
Sen. Marilyn Musgrave (Fort Morgan): There “is no government solution”
to the Columbine tragedy; furthermore, it is a “travesty” for the state to consider imposing “restrictions on law-abiding citizens.”3
House Majority Leader Doug Dean (Colo Springs): “There is no such thing
as a gun show loophole.”
Rep. Ken Gordon (Denver) called gun show background checks “a minimal
inconvenience” considering gun shows are “where felons can get guns” so easily.
The Secondary Gun Market - Arming Juveniles & Criminals
Common practice is that someone with a clean record will make multiple-gun purchases and then resell the guns to juveniles or others
who may or may not be able to pass background checks but who then proceed to commit gun crimes. A report based on Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms data (1996-98) revealed that 87 percent of crime-guns were purchased through this unregulated, secondary sales market. To address the problem of gun trafficking, California just
became the fourth state, following Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina, to limit purchases to one-gun-per-month. In addition,
California has a 10-day waiting period and Maryland, a 7-day waiting period, and all gun sales are subject to background checks. Though all gun buyers must undergo background checks and wait to obtain their
purchases, gun shows are still successfully held in California, Maryland and elsewhere, despite the dire pronouncements of the gun lobby to the contrary.
Gun Shows in America: TUPPERWARE PARTIES FOR CRIMINALS
A 1996 Violence Policy Center study reported that the Firearm Owners Protection Act (also known as the McClure-Volkmer Act after its
sponsors), that passed with NRA support in 1986, has encouraged the proliferation of virtually unregulated gun shows. Indeed, the number of gun shows grew 50 percentin a decade, resulting in over 5,000 shows in 1996. The Act permittedprivate citizens to sell weapons at shows without being subject to the regulations governing licensed dealers, making these unlicensed sellersthe grand favorites of gun traffickers. A 1993 GAO report also revealedgun shows to be a frequent source of stolen military goods. WilliamPierce, author of the supremacist Turner Diaries, has found gun shows tobe the
"natural recruiting environment" of the anti-government militia movement. Both David Koresh and Tim McVeigh frequented gun shows.
"Saturday Night Specials" -- Criminals' Weapons of Choice
After years of trying to douse the "ring of fire" which consists of the 6 manufacturers of cheap handguns (a.k.a. Saturday Night Specials) surrounding Los Angeles, the California Legislature in 1999 outlawed the
production of these junk guns -- the preferred weapons of criminals. Rather than banning specific models, the California measure describes them by type to make it harder to skirt restrictions. At least three of these gun manufacturers have since filed for bankruptcy. Lorcin, a manufacturer of junk semiautomatic pistols had 18 pending liability suits when it filed for bankruptcy and moved its business from
California to Nevada where the gun laws are more permissive. Claiming to make cheap guns "for the poor for self-defense," Lorcin's owner dodged a lawsuit by the family of a man mortally wounded when he dropped his 9mm gun (made of a soft metal alloy and a plastic suitable only for toys) and it discharged.
NRA & Gun Manufacturers at Odds
As profits declined and fewer people were shooting for sport, old-line gun companies like Smith & Wesson and Colt of New England's "Gun Valley" turned to marketing cheap handguns and assault rifles to compete with renegade suppliers, flooding the market with handguns beginning in the 1970’s. Fearing a backlash after successive mass shootings, some gun manufacturers have talked of better regulation of their product,
prompting NRA-threatened boycotts dating back to the 1989 California school shooting when Sturm, Ruger began to call for limits on
high-capacity ammunition clips, and Colt's former CEO suggested that licensing of gun owners might be inevitable. Glock's vice president has proposed a modified one-gun-a-month law. Angered by these overtures,
the NRA and industry hard-liners had the American Shooting Sports Council -- the lead organization of this group of penitent manufacturers -- disbanded.
Holding the Gun Industry Liable
By the end of 1999, twenty-nine cities, counties and the NAACP had filed
lawsuits to recover the costs of gun violence due to the negligent marketing and distribution practices of the gun industry. A federal government lawsuit was also being considered. The city and federal lawsuits seek to force the gun industry to reduce the gratuitous lethality and safety related defects of its products, to strictly
self-monitor its distribution practices, to refrain from fear-mongering and marketing to children, and to submit to being fully regulated by the U.S. Department of Treasury or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms.
Though local lawsuits filed by Bridgeport CT, Cincinnati OH, and Miami FL have been dismissed by the courts, a Brooklyn jury in 1999 held 15 gun manufacturers liable for gun deaths. And the 1st District Court of Appeals allowed to move forward the lawsuit by families of victims in the 1993 shootings at a San Francisco office building which
resulted in eight dead and six injured. The 2-1 ruling declared that Navegar Inc. of Miami could be held liable for the promotion and distribution practices it employs to sell its TEC-DC9 semiautomatic assault weapon. The dissenting judge charged the other two with "judicial legislation."
Deep Pockets of the Gun Lobby -- BUYING CONGRESS
The NRA, one of the three most powerful lobbies in America, spent $14.3 million in political contributions between 1988 and 1999, including $25,800 to Sen. Wayne Allard, the fourth largest recipient among current senators. Congressional passage of the assault weapons ban and Brady Bill system of national background checks prompted a massive infusion of $3.2 million by the NRA in the 1994 elections which helped defeat 19 of 24 targeted gun control advocates and elect 221 of 276 NRA-endorsed
congressional and gubernatorial candidates. Just as Newt Gingrich did in 1994, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott promised as keynote speaker before the 1998 NRA Annual Convention that he would oppose any new
gun control measures. Gun proponents understandably oppose campaign finance reform as it would limit their ability to purchase Congress.
In 1999 the NRA donated $275,000 in political contributions, plus an
estimated $2 million on the lobbying effort to oppose the Senate bill that would have allowed up to three days to do compulsory background checks on all gun sales at gun shows. The bill was termed "an extremely
draconian gun-control bill that would have effectively outlawed gun shows," by NRA chief lobbyist James J. Baker. Both Sens. Wayne Allard and Ben Nighthorse Campbell voted with the NRA and against the bill,
which remains in conference committee in limbo. A watered-down version by NRA board member Rep. John Dingell -- which would have weakened existing gun laws -- was supported by only one member of the Colorado
delegation: Rep. Tom Tancredo. In 1998, Tancredo received a $10,000 donation from the NRA.
Banning Resale of Police Weapons
In the wake of shootings at Columbine and the Los Angeles Jewish Community Daycare Center, where gunman Buford Furrow used a Glock pistol traced to the Washington state police department and later sold to him
by an unlicensed gun dealer, Gov. Bill Owens in September reversed the policy of resale of used or surplus weapons by state agencies back to dealers, noting that governments have been "a significant provider of handguns to the resale market." Denver Mayor Wellington Webb had instituted a
similar ban on the sale or trade of used police guns, ammunition and confiscated firearms in 1996. Rep. Scott McKay (Lakewood) was the lone lawmaker to protest the governor's new policy, saying he was "absolutely outraged" that the state would forego the money from the sale of old
weapons. He said there had never been a recorded incident in which weapons traded or sold by a Colorado agency were subsequently used in a crime. Rep. Tom Tancredo called a similar proposed federal law "superfluous," saying he doubted that law-enforcement agencies were still reselling weapons. U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms data
counted 1,100 former police guns among the 193,203 crime-guns traced nationally in 1998.
LOCAL ORDINANCES
Boulder's city attorney has submitted a draft proposal for an ordinance to ban assault weapons, toughen laws governing gun sales and ownership, and increase penalties for adults who supply guns to minors. Hearings are to be held soon. Colorado Springs is also looking at passing stronger gun ordinances.
Review: “More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control
Laws”
John Lott’s main premise in “More Guns, Less Crime” is that state laws which make it easier to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon deter criminals and reduce violent crime. He has approvingly cited
Archie Bunker's solution to plane hijackings: "...arm all the passengers." In response to school shootings, Lott advocated arming teachers. He surmises that crime-prone urban areas and women benefit
the most from permissive concealed carry laws, and that the Brady Law actually increased the incidence of rape and aggravated assault. A New England Journal of Medicine review (12/31/98) is critical of Lott's methods and his premise. His emphasis on stranger danger disregards
domestic violence which accounts for one-third of all murders of women (1999 DOJ report) and the high rate of acquaintance/family rape (66-85%).
Other studies using Lott’s data contradict his findings, as does a report from the Texas Public Safety Department following the passage of a 1995 “shall issue” concealed-carry bill signed into law by Gov. George W. Bush. Texas has witnessed felony arrests of more than 2,000 concealed-carry permit holders over a period of less than three years. Furthermore, the assumption that we are all safer with more guns in circulation contradicts the empirical data. The chance of suicide increases five-fold with guns in the home, particularly significant in
Colorado which has the second-highest youth and fifth-highest overall suicide rate in the country. A study by Arthur Kellerman, MD, MPH in the Journal of Trauma, Injury & Critical Care (1/22/98) found that for every time a gun was used in self-defense, there were 22 murders, suicides and accidental shootings.
Volunteer for or Join SAFE
If you would like to volunteer to help reduce gun violence, call 303-298-8001. To join SAFE, please fill out and send in the below form to 1738 Wynkoop St., Suite 1, Denver, CO 80202. You might want to
consider asking a friend or neighbor to join as well.
Yes, I would like to join SAFE."
I won't bore you with their sign-up sheet.
Busy. Aren't they?
"SAFE News
Newsletter of Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic -- Winter 2000
(formerly known as the Colorado Coalition Against Gun Violence) 1738 Wynkoop St Suite 1 Denver CO 80202 303-298-8001
Jim Brady in Denver March 6
Please join Jim Brady, survivor of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, for a reception at the downtown Denver Hyatt Hotel, 1750 Welton St on Monday, March 6. The private reception from
5:30-6:30pm is $500. The public reception from 6-8pm is $150, $50 for students. Proceeds will benefit SAFE Colorado. To get tickets, please call 303-563-7233.
The Play’s the Thing in which We’ll Catch the King
Please join us on Saturday, March 25 at 6:30pm for a reception followed at 8pm by the premiere of “Praying for Rain,” a powerful play about youth violence and responsibility put on by the Acoma Center, 1080 Acoma St in Denver. Tickets are $35, $20 for seniors and students. To make
reservations, please call 303-298-8001 or you can send a check made out to SAFE to 1738 Wynkoop St., Suite 1, Denver, CO 80202. (Please specify the number of tickets you are purchasing). Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. All proceeds will benefit SAFE
and Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Gun Violence Prevention Trainings for Talking to Kids about the Dangers of Firearms
Please attend one of the following two programs where we will unveil our
redesigned and strengthened training for talking to kids about guns. The trainings are on Tuesday, March 21 and Thursday, March 23 at Montview Presbyterian Church, 1980 Dahlia St from 6pm-9pm. Please call
303-298-8001 and reserve a place.
Next Meeting of SAFE
The next full membership meeting of SAFE is Wednesday, April 19 at 6:30pm at Montview Presbyterian Church, 1980 Dahlia St. All are welcome to attend! (editorial comment - can't help it - unless you have any other point of view)
MEGA-MERGER
The Colorado Coalition Against Gun Violence (CCAGV) and Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic (SAFE) have merged to form the largest group dedicated to gun violence prevention education and the passage of responsible gun laws in the state. The newly formed 501(c)(3) will operate under the name of SAFE and its new Co-Presidents
will be John Head and Arnie Grossman. Andrea Faley is Secretary and John Tromly is Treasurer. Members of the CCAGV will automatically become members of SAFE. SAFE, a 501(c)(3), will focus its efforts on
gun violence prevention education while SAFE Colorado, a 501(c)(4) will continue to lobby the legislature. SAFE and SAFE Colorado will work closely together and may soon be sharing an office.
Moms & Honorary Moms on the March
The Million Mom March (MMM), founded by a New Jersey woman after the Granada Hills, CA day care center shootings, plans to march on
Washington DC on Mothers' Day 2000 (May 14) to encourage the enactment of new gun control laws including background checks for all gun sales, handgun licensing & registration, handgun safety locks, and limits on handgun purchases to one per month. Kathleen Hopkins (303-629-8613) is
the Colorado Coordinator. Call her for contacts in out-state areas and for additional information.
Silent March to Political Conventions
The Silent March is a national citizens' campaign to illustrate the deadly toll inflicted by gun violence through the collection and display of shoes representing lives lost to firearms. (Some donated shoes are those of victims but most are purely symbolic.) Locally, the Children's
Services arm of the American Humane Association is spearheading an effort to collect 4223 pairs of shoes to represent the children killed by firearms nationwide in 1997. The shoes will be exhibited locally and then shipped for display at the national Republican and Democratic conventions this summer. You can donate a pair of shoes in the Silent March box at the American Humane Association, 63 Inverness Drive East,
Englewood. Or call Kristen Mahlin or Amy Winterfeld of AHA at 303-792-9900 for information on other local shoe collection sites during the months of February and March.
How to Identify your Elected Officials and Monitor the Legislature
To determine your legislators, visit www.vote-smart.com & enter your 9-digit zip code. (You can get the last 4 digits of your zip code at the site.) If you do not have web access, call 1-888-VOTE-SMART
(1-888-868-3762). Information about legislators and the current status
of bills is available on-line at www.state.co.us/gov_dir/stateleg.html,
or you can call the Bill Room, 303-866-3055.
A View from the Legislature
January hearings on gun legislation began on an inauspicious note. Rep. Sue Windel’s (Arvada) bill, HB 1245, to ban guns on school property suffered an early, resounding defeat in the House State Affairs
Committee. Keeping guns out of schools “will cause more deaths in
schools,” argued David Kopel, chief legislative point man against the
“gun prohibition movement.” Kopel, an Independence Institute fellow,
previously argued: “Gun control laws are dangerous because they divert
attention from illegitimacy as the major cause of crime.”
Raising the Age to 21 on Handgun Purchases at Gun Shows
Rep. Paul Zimmerman’s (Thornton) bill, HB 1220, would have raised the age for gun show handgun purchases to 21. He noted that the first, second and third highest number of homicides are committed by 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds. “I don’t know why we’re hearing all these gun bills,” protested Rep. Lois Tochtrop (Westminster). She remembered that on April 20 she was attending a committee hearing about selective service
registration at age 18. Other legislators also judged it unfair to deprive 18-year-olds of handguns when they are issued weapons in the military. The bill was killed.
Reinstating CBI Background Checks
The NRA influence was evident in the original draft of Sen. David Owen’s
(Greeley) bill, SB 125, to reinstate CBI background checks which were discontinued last year by the legislature. In Colorado, gun purchases are denied based on arrest record which does not sit well with the NRA.
Calling it unconstitutional to stop gun sales to arrestees,1 the NRA version of SB 125 placed the burden of proof on the state, forcing the gun-sale in three days if law enforcement proved unable to demonstrate
that there had been a conviction. Noting the danger to officers who would then have to retrieve the guns from those to whom they had been improperly sold, former state trooper Sen. Ken Arnold (Westminster)
fortunately succeeded in amending SB 125 to reflect current practice. The bill has passed both chambers in good shape.
Background Checks at Gun Shows
Rep. Ken Gordon’s (Denver) HB 1242 -- background checks on all gun sales at gun shows -- barely survived the House Judiciary committee even though all the guns used by the killers at Columbine came from gun
shows. Testimony by Robyn Anderson that it was “too easy” to buy the Columbine guns and that she would not have purchased them at all if she had been required to submit to a background check, led to the charge by
Rep. Shawn Mitchell (Broomfield) that she was being “opportunistically
manipulated” by gun control advocates. Gun advocates alleged that government efforts to establish a registry of gun owners is the prelude to gun confiscation. One invoked the “divinely ordained” Second Amendment. Another cited the “treason” of gun laws, asserting that the only way to legislate is by passage of constitutional amendments.
Firearms owners are “oppressed -- like Native Americans,” testified a gun control opponent. American Constitution Party leader Tim Leonard called background checks an infringement on “the ability of families to protect themselves.” “Driving is a privilege, firearm ownership is a right,” declared NRA lobbyist Bill Dietrick. The bill barely passed House Judiciary and despite the valiant efforts of Governor Bill Owens, it was killed in House Appropriations.
Nullifying Local Gun Ordinances
A preemption law favored by the NRA came in under the radar less than 24 hours before its hearing in committee, preventing the opposition, including Denver D.A. Bill Ritter, from testifying. The intent of Rep.
Lynn Hefley’s (Colo. Springs) HB 1289 is to nullify local gun ordinances like Denver’s assault weapons ban. David Kopel called it necessary to “protect minorities [gun owners] against oppressive majorities.” Rep.
Lola Spradley (Beulah) protested that Denver gun laws make gun carriers lawbreakers. She said fifth-graders had asked her why they couldn’t go through Denver.
Prohibiting Lawsuits Against Gun Manufacturers
Another preemptive NRA law (passed in 14 states last year) is the prohibition of lawsuits against gun manufacturers. Though Sen. Ron Teck’s (Grand Junction) SB 10 was killed in committee, Rep. Lauri Clapp’s (Englewood) HB 1208 passed the House and will be heard in the Senate State Affairs commitee. Tom Mauser, whose son was slain at
Columbine, testified on behalf of SAFE against the bill, noting that the
manufacturer of the TEC-DC9 marketed to criminals by touting the “difficulty of lifting fingerprints from the gun.” The manufacturer skirted the 1994 assault weapons ban by slightly modifying the gun and
renaming it the AB10 -- “AB” for after-ban. Sen. John Andrews (Englewood) argued that you would not hold a car maker liable for
accidents caused by drivers, dismissing the fact that cars are registered, drivers licensed and that there are virtually no safety regulations governing the gun industry.
Safe Storage
Sen. Pat Pascoe’s (Denver) safe storage bill was termed the “rapist protection act” by House Majority Leader Doug Dean (Colo Springs). Gun advocates who invoke stranger danger in order to persuade women that
they are safer with easy access to guns, commonly disregard the effect of adding guns to the domestic violence equation. Thirty-three percent of women murdered are killed by domestic partners according to a 1999
DOJ report. A sad note on this long day of gun bill hearings was the headline about the murder-suicide involving a family of five, leaving one survivor. A properly secured firearm will prevent unintentional
shootings and some crimes of passion.
Concealed-Carry Related Bills
Thanks to Sen. Dottie Wham’s (Denver) deciding vote, Sen. Mary Anne Tebedo’s (Colo. Springs) SB152 designed to permit concealed carry in every public venue was killed in the Senate Judiciary committee.
Willing to grant the benefit of the doubt to carriers of concealed guns, the House Judiciary committee passed Rep. Don Lee’s (Littleton) HB 1114 requiring secrecy surrounding the identity of concealed permit holders, even if they commit a crime. Rep. Joyce Lawrence (Pueblo) defended her vote, protesting that permit holders are “not pedophiles,” but “law-abiding citizens.” In response to testimony by a Colorado Press
Association representative urging open records to prevent abuses by license issuers, Lawrence conveyed her distrust of the media. Despite testimony by Anne Coakley that her daughter was mortally wounded by a concealed carry permit holder whose gun discharged through the common
wall of the apartment, some expressed more concern for the safety of concealed carriers who might be “stalked” if it were known they had a gun on them.
LAWMAKERS WEIGH-IN ON GUNS
Assistant Senate Majority Leader Ken Chlouber (Leadville): “I’m going
to encourage my colleagues to join me in not supporting those anti-gun, anti-freedom bills.”2 Reps. Dianne Hoppe (Sterling) and Lois Trochtop (Westminster) said they
would probably oppose background checks at gun shows.
Sen. Marilyn Musgrave (Fort Morgan): There “is no government solution”
to the Columbine tragedy; furthermore, it is a “travesty” for the state to consider imposing “restrictions on law-abiding citizens.”3
House Majority Leader Doug Dean (Colo Springs): “There is no such thing
as a gun show loophole.”
Rep. Ken Gordon (Denver) called gun show background checks “a minimal
inconvenience” considering gun shows are “where felons can get guns” so easily.
The Secondary Gun Market - Arming Juveniles & Criminals
Common practice is that someone with a clean record will make multiple-gun purchases and then resell the guns to juveniles or others
who may or may not be able to pass background checks but who then proceed to commit gun crimes. A report based on Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms data (1996-98) revealed that 87 percent of crime-guns were purchased through this unregulated, secondary sales market. To address the problem of gun trafficking, California just
became the fourth state, following Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina, to limit purchases to one-gun-per-month. In addition,
California has a 10-day waiting period and Maryland, a 7-day waiting period, and all gun sales are subject to background checks. Though all gun buyers must undergo background checks and wait to obtain their
purchases, gun shows are still successfully held in California, Maryland and elsewhere, despite the dire pronouncements of the gun lobby to the contrary.
Gun Shows in America: TUPPERWARE PARTIES FOR CRIMINALS
A 1996 Violence Policy Center study reported that the Firearm Owners Protection Act (also known as the McClure-Volkmer Act after its
sponsors), that passed with NRA support in 1986, has encouraged the proliferation of virtually unregulated gun shows. Indeed, the number of gun shows grew 50 percentin a decade, resulting in over 5,000 shows in 1996. The Act permittedprivate citizens to sell weapons at shows without being subject to the regulations governing licensed dealers, making these unlicensed sellersthe grand favorites of gun traffickers. A 1993 GAO report also revealedgun shows to be a frequent source of stolen military goods. WilliamPierce, author of the supremacist Turner Diaries, has found gun shows tobe the
"natural recruiting environment" of the anti-government militia movement. Both David Koresh and Tim McVeigh frequented gun shows.
"Saturday Night Specials" -- Criminals' Weapons of Choice
After years of trying to douse the "ring of fire" which consists of the 6 manufacturers of cheap handguns (a.k.a. Saturday Night Specials) surrounding Los Angeles, the California Legislature in 1999 outlawed the
production of these junk guns -- the preferred weapons of criminals. Rather than banning specific models, the California measure describes them by type to make it harder to skirt restrictions. At least three of these gun manufacturers have since filed for bankruptcy. Lorcin, a manufacturer of junk semiautomatic pistols had 18 pending liability suits when it filed for bankruptcy and moved its business from
California to Nevada where the gun laws are more permissive. Claiming to make cheap guns "for the poor for self-defense," Lorcin's owner dodged a lawsuit by the family of a man mortally wounded when he dropped his 9mm gun (made of a soft metal alloy and a plastic suitable only for toys) and it discharged.
NRA & Gun Manufacturers at Odds
As profits declined and fewer people were shooting for sport, old-line gun companies like Smith & Wesson and Colt of New England's "Gun Valley" turned to marketing cheap handguns and assault rifles to compete with renegade suppliers, flooding the market with handguns beginning in the 1970’s. Fearing a backlash after successive mass shootings, some gun manufacturers have talked of better regulation of their product,
prompting NRA-threatened boycotts dating back to the 1989 California school shooting when Sturm, Ruger began to call for limits on
high-capacity ammunition clips, and Colt's former CEO suggested that licensing of gun owners might be inevitable. Glock's vice president has proposed a modified one-gun-a-month law. Angered by these overtures,
the NRA and industry hard-liners had the American Shooting Sports Council -- the lead organization of this group of penitent manufacturers -- disbanded.
Holding the Gun Industry Liable
By the end of 1999, twenty-nine cities, counties and the NAACP had filed
lawsuits to recover the costs of gun violence due to the negligent marketing and distribution practices of the gun industry. A federal government lawsuit was also being considered. The city and federal lawsuits seek to force the gun industry to reduce the gratuitous lethality and safety related defects of its products, to strictly
self-monitor its distribution practices, to refrain from fear-mongering and marketing to children, and to submit to being fully regulated by the U.S. Department of Treasury or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms.
Though local lawsuits filed by Bridgeport CT, Cincinnati OH, and Miami FL have been dismissed by the courts, a Brooklyn jury in 1999 held 15 gun manufacturers liable for gun deaths. And the 1st District Court of Appeals allowed to move forward the lawsuit by families of victims in the 1993 shootings at a San Francisco office building which
resulted in eight dead and six injured. The 2-1 ruling declared that Navegar Inc. of Miami could be held liable for the promotion and distribution practices it employs to sell its TEC-DC9 semiautomatic assault weapon. The dissenting judge charged the other two with "judicial legislation."
Deep Pockets of the Gun Lobby -- BUYING CONGRESS
The NRA, one of the three most powerful lobbies in America, spent $14.3 million in political contributions between 1988 and 1999, including $25,800 to Sen. Wayne Allard, the fourth largest recipient among current senators. Congressional passage of the assault weapons ban and Brady Bill system of national background checks prompted a massive infusion of $3.2 million by the NRA in the 1994 elections which helped defeat 19 of 24 targeted gun control advocates and elect 221 of 276 NRA-endorsed
congressional and gubernatorial candidates. Just as Newt Gingrich did in 1994, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott promised as keynote speaker before the 1998 NRA Annual Convention that he would oppose any new
gun control measures. Gun proponents understandably oppose campaign finance reform as it would limit their ability to purchase Congress.
In 1999 the NRA donated $275,000 in political contributions, plus an
estimated $2 million on the lobbying effort to oppose the Senate bill that would have allowed up to three days to do compulsory background checks on all gun sales at gun shows. The bill was termed "an extremely
draconian gun-control bill that would have effectively outlawed gun shows," by NRA chief lobbyist James J. Baker. Both Sens. Wayne Allard and Ben Nighthorse Campbell voted with the NRA and against the bill,
which remains in conference committee in limbo. A watered-down version by NRA board member Rep. John Dingell -- which would have weakened existing gun laws -- was supported by only one member of the Colorado
delegation: Rep. Tom Tancredo. In 1998, Tancredo received a $10,000 donation from the NRA.
Banning Resale of Police Weapons
In the wake of shootings at Columbine and the Los Angeles Jewish Community Daycare Center, where gunman Buford Furrow used a Glock pistol traced to the Washington state police department and later sold to him
by an unlicensed gun dealer, Gov. Bill Owens in September reversed the policy of resale of used or surplus weapons by state agencies back to dealers, noting that governments have been "a significant provider of handguns to the resale market." Denver Mayor Wellington Webb had instituted a
similar ban on the sale or trade of used police guns, ammunition and confiscated firearms in 1996. Rep. Scott McKay (Lakewood) was the lone lawmaker to protest the governor's new policy, saying he was "absolutely outraged" that the state would forego the money from the sale of old
weapons. He said there had never been a recorded incident in which weapons traded or sold by a Colorado agency were subsequently used in a crime. Rep. Tom Tancredo called a similar proposed federal law "superfluous," saying he doubted that law-enforcement agencies were still reselling weapons. U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms data
counted 1,100 former police guns among the 193,203 crime-guns traced nationally in 1998.
LOCAL ORDINANCES
Boulder's city attorney has submitted a draft proposal for an ordinance to ban assault weapons, toughen laws governing gun sales and ownership, and increase penalties for adults who supply guns to minors. Hearings are to be held soon. Colorado Springs is also looking at passing stronger gun ordinances.
Review: “More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control
Laws”
John Lott’s main premise in “More Guns, Less Crime” is that state laws which make it easier to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon deter criminals and reduce violent crime. He has approvingly cited
Archie Bunker's solution to plane hijackings: "...arm all the passengers." In response to school shootings, Lott advocated arming teachers. He surmises that crime-prone urban areas and women benefit
the most from permissive concealed carry laws, and that the Brady Law actually increased the incidence of rape and aggravated assault. A New England Journal of Medicine review (12/31/98) is critical of Lott's methods and his premise. His emphasis on stranger danger disregards
domestic violence which accounts for one-third of all murders of women (1999 DOJ report) and the high rate of acquaintance/family rape (66-85%).
Other studies using Lott’s data contradict his findings, as does a report from the Texas Public Safety Department following the passage of a 1995 “shall issue” concealed-carry bill signed into law by Gov. George W. Bush. Texas has witnessed felony arrests of more than 2,000 concealed-carry permit holders over a period of less than three years. Furthermore, the assumption that we are all safer with more guns in circulation contradicts the empirical data. The chance of suicide increases five-fold with guns in the home, particularly significant in
Colorado which has the second-highest youth and fifth-highest overall suicide rate in the country. A study by Arthur Kellerman, MD, MPH in the Journal of Trauma, Injury & Critical Care (1/22/98) found that for every time a gun was used in self-defense, there were 22 murders, suicides and accidental shootings.
Volunteer for or Join SAFE
If you would like to volunteer to help reduce gun violence, call 303-298-8001. To join SAFE, please fill out and send in the below form to 1738 Wynkoop St., Suite 1, Denver, CO 80202. You might want to
consider asking a friend or neighbor to join as well.
Yes, I would like to join SAFE."
I won't bore you with their sign-up sheet.
Busy. Aren't they?