Colorado’s 70th General Assembly convened Wednesday and saw Republicans launch efforts to repeal two measures passed by Democrats in 2013 requiring background checks for guns sold online and banning high-capacity magazines.
The magazine bill isn’t popular with several Democrats, which means it could pass the legislature by as much as 21-14 in the Senate and 34-31 in the House.
Some Democrats and Republicans are also on agreement that removing background checks from online and private gun sales is a bad idea.
“This is not about Democrat or Republican,” Christy LeLait, executive director of the El Paso County Democratic Party, told NBC affiliate KOAA. “It’s not about party. This is about the safety of everyone in Colorado.”
However, LeLait said she feels the background check law should stand. “If we repeal the law and say that online sales and private sales don’t require a background check, you’re just telling criminals, people who can’t buy guns, to go through private channels to do it,” she said.
The station also spoke with Mel Bernstein, owner of Dragonman’s gun shop and shooting range, who agreed. He said that although there are ways around the system, background checks do make it harder criminals to acquire guns.
“It’s good for law abiding citizens because the bad guys, even though they’re going to get a gun. They don’t get it that easy,” Bernstein told KOAA.
Source Article from http://www.guns.com/2015/01/10/colorado-republicans-introduce-background-check-magazine-ban-repeal/
