Email from Rep. Jared Polis

[Singlestack]

I haven't had time to study the biils he mentions, but just received the following from him. P.S. He is a liberal Democrat from Boulder:

Dear Friend:

I am excited to provide an update regarding our Second Amendment rights and current legislation that will help protect the rights of gunowners.
This week, I introduced H.R. 3483, the Protecting Individual Liberties and States’ Rights Act of 2013, legislation which would protect gunowners by ensuring that they do not have their guns taken away by the federal government for actions that are legal under Colorado state law. Coloradans overwhelmingly approved Amendment 64 and related provisions in successive elections, demonstrating our commitment to regulating marijuana like alcohol. No veteran should lose his right to bear arms simply because he legally grows three marijuana plants in the privacy of his own home, in full compliance with Colorado state law. Nor should a cancer patient forgo her Second Amendment rights because she uses medical marijuana to control nausea from chemotherapy. There is currently nothing to stop federal agents from seizing legal guns from Colorado residents who are fully complying with state laws, and my bill protects the Second Amendment rights of Coloradans following state law.


I also recently became a cosponsor of H.R. 1565, the bipartisan Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act. As your representative in Congress, it is my responsibility to protect the liberties enshrined by the Constitution. The Second Amendment Rights Protection Act helps expand our freedoms by guaranteeing the right of gunowners to buy, sell, trade, and travel more freely with their firearms.


Colorado provides gunowners access to a concealed carry permit that lawfully allows travel with a concealed firearm in other states that have agreed to accept Colorado’s permits. While there is room for improvement, this system is convenient for gunowners. H.R. 1565 expands this travel protection by allowing lawful concealed carry permit holders to buy, sell, or trade a firearm in any other state, as long as the other state’s laws meet certain criteria and the concealed carry permit was issued in the past five years. For example, under this bill, a Colorado resident traveling to visit family in California may be able to use his or her Colorado concealed carry permit to buy a gun in California without being subject to a new background check. This bill would make it easier for gunowners to travel or work in other states, and would reduce duplicative and unnecessary involvement by the federal government.


Furthermore, I strongly oppose the creation of a federal gun registry. While a national registry is not specifically authorized in any law, you may be wondering, what’s to stop a federal agency or even a President from creating one? Did the NSA have the authority to collect cell phone data from hundreds of millions of Americans? Did Congress ever approve the fatally flawed Fast and Furious gunrunning operation? Our laws and our government should enhance our liberties—not threaten them. Without clear protections, we risk more violations of our rights. The bill that I co-sponsored explicitly prohibits the creation of a national gun registry, and will protect privacy and gunowners’ rights by penalizing any federal employees or contractors who attempt to create a federal registry with up to 15 years in prison.


I will also soon become a cosponsor of H.R. 3335, the Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act, which was recently introduced by Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). This bill would allow an individual to buy firearms from a licensed dealer in another state, as long as the buyer met the background check requirements of that state. Under this bill, dealers could buy and sell firearms in other states if they complied with each state’s laws, and would also be allowed to exchange firearms directly, rather than only at licensed locations.


You may also be interested to know that earlier this year I was one of 18 Democrats to join 216 Republicans to vote in support of an amendment offered by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report to Congress on the quantity of, and rationale for, its proposed ammunition purchases. Just as I am working to prevent the federal government from intruding into the lives of lawful gunowners, I also want to make sure that DHS isn’t stocking up on more ammunition than it needs.
Like much of our nation, Colorado has a long tradition of gun ownership. From recreation and sport to self-protection and safety, I am committed to protecting the rights of lawful Coloradans to own firearms. If I can be of further assistance on this or any other issue, please contact me at (970) 226-1239. I also encourage you to visit https://polis.house.gov and sign up to receive my newsletter.

Sincerely,





Jared Polis

[Bailey Guns]

Must be an election year. The liberals are gettin' their conservative on.

[merl]

Interesting noises. Have any old messages from 10 months ago to compare against?

[SirSai]

30 round mags are still bad for ya, apparently.

[SamuraiCO]

And Obama wasn't lying when he said "If you like your plan you can keep your plan. If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor".

All smoke and mirrors from any Dem.

[Singlestack]

Interesting noises. Have any old messages from 10 months ago to compare against?

Nope - this is the first time I heard him say anything about the 2A.

[BPTactical]

Worthy of keeping an ear to.
Be interdasting to see what if any becomes of it.

[bennice]

His term is up in 2015. He's pretty far left leaning, so this is strange territory.

Maybe the Democratic brain trust got the hint that going anti 2A will get their asses kicked, so they're softening the stance and abandoning those controversial positions.
Or maybe Polis is somewhat sensible on the issue. He doesn't have any stated position on gun control as far as I can find.

Should be interesting.

[def90]

Polis has always stated that he prefers reforming mental health over taking away gun rights. Personally I like the guy. He is a champion of private and charter schools as well and against unions and common core.

He has always held these positions election year or not. He is the only rep in Colorado that responded back this past year that he is not a fan of any further gun restrictions.

The thing about Polis is that he didn't "grow up" a politician, he made his millions as a businessman and then became a politician. I think he approaches his issues using the same business sense rather than the heart bleeding knee jerk approach most politicians use. He's a smart guy.

sent from a soup can and some string..

[jhood001]

A lot of information and statistics have come out over the past 2 years regarding firearms and 2A. Maybe some of these guys are actually reading it thinking for themselves. Wishful thinking, but who knows.

I sure hope that isn't the case though. It would make the black and white of R vs. D a lot more grey and a lot more complicated if it were true.
Black and white is simple. Simple is easy and I like simple. And I like YOU Bailey Guns.