The massacre in Texas and the contentious Colorado statehouse hearing on a proposed assault weapons ban have bolstered my reasoning for a special legislative session on guns, including examining why instruments of mass destruction are sold in Colorado.
The heartbreaking scene in Cleveland, Texas, where the gunman murdered five people, was all the worse because two of the victims were 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso and his mother Sonia Argentina Guzman. Two women died shielding Guzman’s other children from the rampage.
Authorities found Guzman’s two babies drenched in blood from the bullet-riddled bodies of those heroic women. Imagine the trauma that took place inside that house.
Too many lawmakers and money-grubbing gun manufacturers believe that escalating gun violence is a price we must pay to live in a free society.
America is where the right to fulfill murderous fantasies trumps being protected from evil-doers who want to kill people with military weapons of mass slaughter.
How long can we sit still and hope the problem eases on its own? Two decades? Until mid-century? Forever?
In Colorado, now is the time to stand up and shout the immortal words of Howard Beale in the movie “Network:” “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take this anymore!”
Pro-gun activists agree with a Rand Corporation analysis that the effectiveness of outlawing assault weapons and high-capacity magazines vis-a-vis firearm homicides is inconclusive.
But what is conclusive is the destruction caused by the weapon of choice for most mass shooters, the AR-15.
While first responders, police, and doctors see the damage up close, policymakers who write gun laws rarely do, according to a Washington Post article.
The story dated March 27, 2023 includes 3-D modeling and animation of a force that pulverizes bones, shatters organs, and causes body tissue to crumble in a surgeon’s hands.
Gov. Jared Polis, Democrats, and Republicans should watch the animation which demonstrates how high-velocity, low-caliber rounds from an AR-15 can eviscerate groups of people within seconds.
Then, ask themselves if they are doing enough to prevent the horrific situation in Cleveland, Texas from happening to a family in Pueblo or Rifle or Steamboat Springs.
To those who use the excuse that assault weapons can be bought in neighboring states and brought here, The Giffords Law Center reports Colorado exports roughly the same number of guns used to commit crimes as the state imports.
Also, if our neighbors allow sex trafficking within their borders does that mean we shouldn’t ban it?
It’s time for Colorado lawmakers to begin the hard work of making a dent in the sale of weapons that were designed for combat.
Should existing assault weapons be grandfathered-in? What about stiffer penalties for large magazines? What’s the definition of an assault weapon? Should the state start to require licensing and registration of firearms?
These and other issues should be vigorously debated and put to a vote in the House and Senate.
Time to identify Democrats who are too scared to challenge the governor’s anti-ban stance or are too concerned about losing their next election.
Time to hear do-nothing Republicans explain, in minute detail, how prayers and wishful thinking will stem the tide of gun violence.
Lay your cards on the table, Assembly members and Gov. Polis. Show the roughly 60% of Coloradans who support an assault weapons ban, where you stand.
After his massive land-use bill was weakened in the legislature, Polis spoke about his passion not to give up the fight to fix the housing crisis.
“I’m not governor to do the easy things,” he told CPR. “The easy things tend to get done on their own.”
My point exactly, governor.
Jo Ann Allen retired recently from Colorado Public Radio in Denver after 47 years of reporting the news. She is the creator and host of the podcast Been There Done That.
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