By: Kayleigh Hamilton
The Second Amendment just took a big blow.
Anti-gun activists launched a major attack and won an unfortunate victory.
And now gun owners will have to pick up the pieces and figure out a way forward.
Colorado used to be a very conservative state, but things have changed significantly in the last few decades, and now it is more liberal than ever before.
Part of that is because in most states, there are urban and suburban areas that vote liberal, but also rural areas that vote conservative.
However, many of the rural parts of Colorado are nearly uninhabitable because of the mountains, and there simply aren’t enough rural voters to counteract the influence of Denver.
Denver is an increasingly liberal city filled with people who are hostile to the Second Amendment, and that is showing up in Colorado state politics in a big way.
The state has already passed heavy gun control, and the Colorado Senate just passed a bill to make the rules even more strict.
And if the governor signs it, then gun owners in Colorado are going to be in for a very rough time.
According to The Truth About Guns, in an article written before the bill passed, “After approving a series of amendments meant to appease Democratic Governor Jared Polis, who is wary of sweeping firearm restrictions, likely remembering the 2013 recall petitions and ousted politicians after the state passed a series of gun control bills, Senate Bill 25-3 is set for a final recorded vote sometime this week. It needs eighteen votes to pass, and with twenty-three Democrats in the chamber, it is likely to move to the House next for consideration, where Democrats also have a strong majority.”
Polis has long identified as a “libertarian Democrat,” part of a dying breed, and it’s clear that he personally doesn’t like gun control.
But he also wants to keep his Democrat constituents happy, and over the years he has compromised the Second Amendment over and over again for political reasons.
It seems likely that he will do it again here, but that remains to be seen.
The article continues, “Now amended, SB 25-3 would carve out a provision for Coloradans who complete a safety and training course to purchase firearms otherwise banned by the bill. It took nearly 10 hours of debate, finally passing after midnight on Valentine’s Day, for the chamber to come to what sounds like a reluctant agreement.”
It seems likely that many gun owners will find themselves fleeing Colorado for greener pastures, which could lead to an influx of migrants into the state of Wyoming.
Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, is right on the border of Colorado, and could see gun control refugees moving there.
Unless Colorado starts voting for Republicans again, there is little chance any of these laws are going to be repealed in the near future.
This is a bad situation for gun owners in Colorado, and they are going to have to figure out a path forward in the face of a hostile government.