madfranks
24th March 2011, 08:44 AM
Link Here (http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_17677591)
Committee blocks bill to make Colorado concealed-carry permits optional
Legal concealed-carry users no longer would have needed a permit
By Tim Hoover
The Denver Post
A bill that would have made concealed-carry permits optional in Colorado died in a Senate committee Tuesday at the hands of Democrats.
The Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee killed House Bill 1205 on a 2-3 party-line vote.
Under the bill, concealed-carry permits still would have existed, but anyone who met the criteria to carry a concealed weapon — which excludes those barred for reasons such as felonies, mental-health and substance- abuse problems or domestic-violence convictions — could have done so without a permit.
Supporters argued that the current $152 fee for a concealed-weapons permit is nothing but a "coat tax." Criminals will carry concealed weapons regardless of the permitting process, supporters argued, saying it makes no sense to hinder law-abiding citizens who want to defend themselves.
Critics, though, including police chiefs and advocates for victims of domestic violence, said there would have been no way to screen out those with felonies or other disqualifying factors because people carrying a concealed weapon would be expected to police themselves.
Sheriffs on both sides of the issue testified Tuesday.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle lined up against the bill, noting that under current law, sheriffs have the power to revoke the concealed-carry permits of anyone they believe is a threat to public safety. He recounted the story of having to revoke the permit of a man with a traumatic brain injury who was shooting at hallucinations. Pelle said he also denied a permit to a blind man.
"I do not believe any of these people are going to self-regulate or self-police" if the bill had become law, Pelle said.
But Yuma County Sheriff Chad Day supported the legislation, arguing that being allowed to carry a concealed weapon is a right, not a privilege such as being licensed to drive a car.
"Citizens' being able to freely carry guns would repel criminals," Day said.
Earlier this month, the bill passed the Republican-controlled House on a 40-25 vote, picking up seven Democratic votes in favor. But its fate was always in doubt in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 20-15 majority.
And the Senate state affairs committee, known as a kill committee because its members either have seats safe from election challenges or are serving their last terms, shot down the bill.
"All we're saying is if you're going to carry a weapon, you should get a permit," said Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, chairman of the committee.
But Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, the Senate sponsor of the bill, said that requiring law-abiding citizens, such as one woman who testified during the hearing, to get concealed-carry permits only enables wrong-doers.
"Criminals don't care about whether they break the law," Brophy said, "but law-abiding young ladies do."
Committee blocks bill to make Colorado concealed-carry permits optional
Legal concealed-carry users no longer would have needed a permit
By Tim Hoover
The Denver Post
A bill that would have made concealed-carry permits optional in Colorado died in a Senate committee Tuesday at the hands of Democrats.
The Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee killed House Bill 1205 on a 2-3 party-line vote.
Under the bill, concealed-carry permits still would have existed, but anyone who met the criteria to carry a concealed weapon — which excludes those barred for reasons such as felonies, mental-health and substance- abuse problems or domestic-violence convictions — could have done so without a permit.
Supporters argued that the current $152 fee for a concealed-weapons permit is nothing but a "coat tax." Criminals will carry concealed weapons regardless of the permitting process, supporters argued, saying it makes no sense to hinder law-abiding citizens who want to defend themselves.
Critics, though, including police chiefs and advocates for victims of domestic violence, said there would have been no way to screen out those with felonies or other disqualifying factors because people carrying a concealed weapon would be expected to police themselves.
Sheriffs on both sides of the issue testified Tuesday.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle lined up against the bill, noting that under current law, sheriffs have the power to revoke the concealed-carry permits of anyone they believe is a threat to public safety. He recounted the story of having to revoke the permit of a man with a traumatic brain injury who was shooting at hallucinations. Pelle said he also denied a permit to a blind man.
"I do not believe any of these people are going to self-regulate or self-police" if the bill had become law, Pelle said.
But Yuma County Sheriff Chad Day supported the legislation, arguing that being allowed to carry a concealed weapon is a right, not a privilege such as being licensed to drive a car.
"Citizens' being able to freely carry guns would repel criminals," Day said.
Earlier this month, the bill passed the Republican-controlled House on a 40-25 vote, picking up seven Democratic votes in favor. But its fate was always in doubt in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 20-15 majority.
And the Senate state affairs committee, known as a kill committee because its members either have seats safe from election challenges or are serving their last terms, shot down the bill.
"All we're saying is if you're going to carry a weapon, you should get a permit," said Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, chairman of the committee.
But Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, the Senate sponsor of the bill, said that requiring law-abiding citizens, such as one woman who testified during the hearing, to get concealed-carry permits only enables wrong-doers.
"Criminals don't care about whether they break the law," Brophy said, "but law-abiding young ladies do."