Posted on 01/21/2002 4:00:57 AM PST by technochick99
Action Alert
Physicians for Social Responsibility
1738 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202
www.psr.org
Action Alert: Contact Your Elected Officials and Newspapers and Urge Them to Oppose the Shall-Issue Concealed Weapons Bill, SB 60
Colorado - SB 60 would compel law enforcement throughout the state to issue permits to carry concealed weapons to virtually everyone who wants one. Permits would be issued regardless of whether the individual demonstrated a need, regardless of the safety requirements of the local jurisdiction, and regardless of the views of local residents.
In his State of the State message earlier this year, Governor Owens called for the passage of a bill with provisions just like those in SB 60.
Take Action: Please contact Governor Owens and let him know that putting more hidden guns on our streets will endanger us all. Governor Owens Phone Number: 303-866-2471
In addition, please do the following:
Write to the Rocky Mt. News and the Denver Post and express your concerns.
Rocky Mountain News
P.O. Box 719
Denver, Colorado 80201
fax: 303-892-2568
email: letters@RockyMountainNews.com
The Open Forum
Denver Post
1560 Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80202
fax: 303-820-1502
email: letters@denverpost.com
Letters should be no more than 200 words (or so) and should include your name, address and phone numbers (so they can confirm you exist and you wrote the letter before they print it).
Call the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where SB 60 will be heard first, and the only place where we have a chance to stop it. Let them know you strongly oppose the bill. Note that uniform standards are not the problem, but removing local law enforcement discretion is.
Sen. Ken Arnold (R-Westminster)
303-866-4876
kenarnold@qwest.net
Sen. Jim Dyer (R-Littleton)
303-866-4866
Sen. Ken Gordon (D-Denver)
303-866-4875
kengordon@qwest.net
Sen. Rob Hernandez (D-Denver)
303-866-4862
robhernandez@qwest.net
Sen. Mark Hillman (R-Burlington)
303-866-6360
markhillman@qwest.net
Sen. Doug Linkhart (D-Denver)
303-866-4861
linkhart@qwest.net
Sen. Sue Windels (D-Arvada)
303-866-4840
suewindels@qwest.net
Provisions of SB 60:
Forces local law enforcement officials to issue concealed weapon permits by taking away their discretion. Permits must be issued regardless of whether the individual demonstrates any necessity for carrying a gun in public places, and regardless of the safety needs of the local jurisdiction.
Allows concealed carry permits holders to carry their loaded, hidden guns into churches, shopping malls, childcare centers, parks, and other public places.
Mandates that the approximately 3 million concealed carry permit holders throughout the country can automatically carry their loaded guns in Colorado, despite the fact that most states do not require extensive background checks and many do not require any safety training whatsoever.
Fails to specify how much gun safety training permit applicants must go through. The bill also provides a "temporary emergency" loophole for applicants to get around the safety training requirement.
In short, this bill will result in the proliferation of individuals carrying loaded, hidden handguns in public.
Colorado's Current Concealed Carry Law
Presently, if an individual wishes to carry a concealed gun in public, he must submit an application to his local law enforcement officials. Law enforcement officials are permitted but are not compelled to issue the permit.
Excerpt, Regarding Concealed Weapons, From Governor Owens' State of the State Address:
"The threat of terrorism here at home has increased the number of law-abiding citizens throughout the nation who have sought to purchase a firearm for self-defense. In Colorado we lack a uniform legal standard for the issuance of a right to carry permit, and I propose that we create one.
As both the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News have editorialized, this haphazard approach of laws needs to be changed.
An example of this patchwork is the police chief from rural Colorado who regularly travels to Denver to dispense right to carry permits to law-abiding citizens. I want to work with you to create a uniform shall-issue "right to carry" standard this session."
What a pack of lies. There is universal agreement amoung the people who have studied the issue, that "shall issue" concealed carry at minimum does not cause ANY increase in crime or injuries, and almost certainly causes a considerable decrease in murder, armed robbery, rape, and other violent crimes.
What these fascists call "discresion" means that any politically appointed police chief can prevent you from protecting yourself at their whim, subject to no appeal. If they like you, you get a permit. If they don't like you, or you are the wrong color, or sex, or religion, or didn't make the right campaign contribution, you don't get a permit. These people are perfectly willing to have thousands of innocents die in order to protect themselves from their own sick phobias.
Either way, they definitely fall into the category of "domestic enemies of the Constitution".
And a lot of patriots are growing wearing of "arguing" with the communists.
I believe that every citizen has the right to carry a firearm everywhere, and it is not up to the state to "allow" it or not. The state should simply get out of the way and stop harassing a Free People.
As to limiting it to "law abiding citizens", can anyone say they can live a day without violating at least one law passed by the bureaucrats? In their eyes, all of us are criminals (on a side note, those sentiments are quite mutual).
As to "needing it for personal security", that is subjective. A Free Man (or Woman) does not need to provide any justification for the exercise of an unalienable Right.
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