Response today from my state congress critter, Johnathan Singer.
First of all, I want to thank all of you who over the last few weeks took your time to write to me regarding your concerns surrounding gun legislation at the State House. I have never met so many passionate people with such differing views. I spent time with competitive shooting instructors, students for and against concealed carry on campus, gun control advocates, educators, and law enforcement experts.
Before all was said and done, I went to the Longmont Police Department Shooting Range, used firearms for the first time (including the AR-15), and co-hosted a bi-partisan debate on gun laws with former Sen. Ken Gordon, Weld County DA Ken Buck, Dr. John Lott, and John Head. I sat down with constituents who had never even thought of contacting their elected official before and received literally thousands of emails and hundreds of phone calls. My part time staff and I are still dealing with the backlog, and it’s why I’m responding later than I normally would.
Here’s the breakdown of my votes. I didn’t come to any of these decisions quickly or easily. I know I caused a lot of consternation for wanting to examine all of the angles before casting my vote Monday. I’d rather make a tough informed decision than a knee-jerk ignorant vote.
House Bill 1229 - Requiring background checks for private sellers: YES
I voted yes on this bill based on the fact that Colorado’s comprehensive background checks have done a good job so far of stopping criminals from buying guns. When I met with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently they told me thatlast year alone, the CBI check resulted in the arrest of over 200 fugitives trying to illegally buy guns. Closing the private seller loophole better protects our citizens and gives sellers the peace of mind that they are selling to a law abiding citizen.
House Bill 1228 - Ending the taxpayer subsidy of CBI background checks: YES
As a former child protection, day care, and nursing home worker, either myself or my employer had to pay for my CBI background check. Last year, taxpayers subsidized gun buyers to the tune of nearly $2 million for that same background check. The average cost of a check is $12.00. This fee for service bill is fair and not financially restrictive.
House Bill 1224 - Limiting magazines to 15 Rounds: YES
Honestly this was a tough one. Some states have limited rounds to 7 per magazine, other states would allow a magazine of 100+ bullets. Originally this bill would have set the limit to 10 bullets. I believe the amendment allowing 15 bullets represents a compromise. I don’t believe that limiting magazine size will stop all crime. But in the case of mass shootings, I want to give bystanders the opportunity to get to safety and to stop the shooter (as happened in Arizona). The bill was amended to allow Colorado magazine companies such as Magpul to continue producing in the state. I hope this will save jobs, and I intend to visit their Headquarters very soon to talk to them about their concerns.
House Bill 1226 - College Campus Ban on Concealed Carry: YES
This may in fact have been the toughest vote for me. I truly believe that campus students, faculty and staff should have a say in their own campus life. The courts took that voice away when they permitted concealed carry essentially everywhere on campus.
Fear was the common thread among students I met with on this issue. Students for the bill were afraid that they could not freely disagree with their classmates without fear of violent reprisal. Students against the bill were afraid to walk home alone at night without some way to protect themselves. The outpouring of phone calls, text messages and emails from constituents and students across the state in favor of this bill put me in the YES column at the 11th Hour. We still have a responsibility to those students who fear for their well-being.
While I believe that those that would carry concealed are a minority, they are not an insignificant portion of the population and they have every right to feel as safe as any student. Since we at the Capitol made this decision on their behalf, it is now our responsibility to work with them to find new solutions.
I know that I haven't necessarily made a lot of friends throughout this debate, but I hope we can continue this discourse respectfully and without our ideologies blinding us to the real fear, passion, and desire to build a better, freer, safer Colorado.
Sincerely,
Rep. Singer
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