Boulder County Considers Slate Of Gun Limiting Ordinances
The Boulder County Commissioners have given initial approval to a series of ordinances to limit the sales of guns. It was after a gunman killed 10 people in a Boulder grocery store that the ground work was first laid for a series of local laws. And now there has been another mass shooting, this one in Illinois.
"It could have been at the time of Aurora at the time of Columbine here in Colorado we see no end to gun violence," Boulder Commissioner Marta Loachamin said of the timing of the Boulder proposals.
The ordinances being considered are:
--No gun sales to those under 21
--A 10-day waiting period to buy a gun.
--No guns allowed in sensitive places, like churches and parks
--A ban on assault rifles and large capacity magazines
Jon Caldara is a Boulder County resident and president of the conservative Independence Institute. He lives just blocks from the King Soopers where the shooting occurred. He says he thought long and hard about his stance,
"These gun ordinances are only a way to disarm good people and do nothing to stop the mentally ill where our intentions really need to lie," Caldara said.
Laws restricting gun sales are being passed in cities and towns throughout Boulder County. They have been aided by national gun control groups. Annemarie Jensen with Colorado Ceasefire says they will help,
"If you try to give local law enforcement more tools they can prevent violence before it happens."
But Caldara insists, "The idea is to create this patchwork where you don't know if you are a criminal or not when you cross from one municipality to the other."
He claims the end result will be to create pressure for statewide laws with similar provisions.
The Boulder County Commissioners meet again on August 2nd. There will be public comment on the gun ordinances at that time before a vote. It would follow Louisville, Superior, Lafayette, and the City of Boulder which have already passed gun laws.
