Recently, state Representative Lois Court (D-6) stated that she will pursue legislation this session that would unnecessarily burden law abiding gun owners with a $10.50 fee for the state mandated background check for each firearm transfer. The cost of this background check, which is conducted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), is currently covered by the state.
CBI is 1 of only 12 states running this type of duplicative state check, as an overwhelming majority of states rely upon the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to clear purchases of firearms through licensed gun dealers. This duplicative and unnecessary program will cost taxpayers over $2 million this year, yet when tasked with responding to a higher than average demand of volume, CBI has failed to show its true value.
With NICS being used to conduct criminal records checks for purchasers of any modern firearm from a gun dealer in every state, state checks are obsolete and wasteful of scarce fiscal resources. Imposing a gun tax -- or a "user fee" on a constitutional right -- on firearm purchasers to subsidize an unnecessary and duplicative program is the wrong solution to this problem. If such program is a public safety measure, then the public as a whole should pay for it and not just law abiding gun owners. The better solution is to repeal the CBI checks and have firearms transfers subject only to NICS.
In addition to considering the imposition of a gun tax on firearm purchasers, state legislators are proposing a wide variety of gun restrictions this session in an attempt to severely limit your gun rights in the Centennial State. There has been serious discussion by some Democrats in the Colorado General Assembly to ban commonly-owned semi-automatic rifles, ban “high capacity magazines,” restrict private firearm sales and reverse the state Supreme Court ruling on Campus Carry. These misguided proposals are an affront to our constitutional rights as law-abiding citizens.
The battle in Denver that lies before us to protect our gun rights began Wednesday, January 9. This will be an assault on our Second Amendment rights unlike one we have ever seen. As gun owners, sportsmen and supporters of the Second Amendment, we urge you to contact Governor John Hickenlooper and your state legislators TODAY and respectfully express your opposition to restrictions to your lawful gun rights.
Governor John Hickenlooper can be reached by e-mail or telephone at (303) 866-2471.
Your state Senator can be reached at 303-866-2316 and your state Representative can be reached at 303-866-2904.
Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for further updates.
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