Co. Senate will vote on a half-dozen new firearms laws this week as gun control debate heats up

By Leah Dearborn | Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

Following the mass shooting in an Aurora movie theater last July, the Colorado State Senate will convene Monday to vote on a bill banning concealed weapons from college campuses. The bill passed the House last week, and if approved in the Senate, will overturn a law that allows students over the age of twenty-one to carry firearms with a permit. The Associated Press reports:

Boulder Democratic Rep. Claire Levy‘s bill comes as majority Democrats in both legislative chambers push gun control measures that include an assault weapons ban, universal background checks and limits on gun magazines. But campus police and some students say any change on concealed carry likely would have little impact. “It’s a difficult ban to enforce, because we have so many entrances and exits to this campus,” said Ryan Hall, a spokesman for the University of Colorado Police Department.

The Colorado Senate will hear approximately a half-dozen gun-related bills this week, and tensions have been mounting between pro and anti-gun activists. After a series of intense firearms debates, Colorado State Rep. Rhonda Fields notified authorities upon receiving threatening emails over the weekend.

Fields usually gets a few dozen emails in a typical weekend, she said. But a handful of the 3,000 she received, along with a letter, were so charged with profanity and references to violence that Denver police arrested the suspected author, and state troopers increased security for the lawmaker. (thecoloradoan.com)