Democrats Vote Down 3 Bills To Change Colorado Gun Laws
DENVER (CBS4) - Three bills to change gun laws in Colorado were defeated after Democrats on the House State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee voted unanimously against them.
House Bill 1037 would have allowed people with a concealed carry permit to carry firearms in Colorado schools.
The bill was introduced by House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, a Republican from Castle Rock. Neville was a student at Columbine High School during the 1999 mass shooting that left 15 people dead.
"I am tired of just talking about solutions, my bill would have done something to actually protect kids and deter future violence," Neville said in a statement released Thursday. "Proposals to stop gun violence must be realistic to be effective, and it's so disappointing to watch Democrats bow to their special interests groups and defeat viable options to help protect society."
Currently under state laws, people with concealed carry permits can bring firearms to a school but the gun must be kept inside a locked vehicle.
The two other gun-related bills were House Bill 1074, a "stand your ground" bill which would have allowed the use deadly force against in intruder at a business, and House Bill 1015, which would have repealed Colorado's 15-round capacity limit for gun magazines.
Democrats said in a statement released Thursday that the three Republican bills "would have increased the prevalence and severity of gun violence in Colorado."
"Ultimately it's criminals who are taking advantage of large-capacity magazines, and I don't know why we would want to arm them with more firing power," Rep. Edie Hooton, D-Boulder, was quoted as saying.
All three bills went down on identical 6-3 party-line votes.