Mark Lunsford, father of slain nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford, testifies at the Colorado Capitol.

UPDATE: Debbie Brown from Colorado Women’s Alliance issued the following statement about the vote:

“Yesterday, Colorado State House Democrats killed a bill that would have created mandatory minimum sentencing for pedophiles.  The Democrats’ unwillingness to put aside petty politics in order to protect our most innocent citizens – our children – is sad and disgusting, and is especially offensive to mothers across Colorado.  Colorado is one of just six states that have failed to enact Jessica’s Law.  Those who voted against Jessica’s Law sent the message to would-be child predators that Colorado is not serious about protecting its children.”

Yesterday, Democrats in the Colorado House State, Veterans, and Military Committee (aka the kill committee) voted “no” on Jessica’s Law, which would enact mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for those who sexually assault children under the age of 12.

The rationale for killing the bill?  Democrats and their backers expressed concern that the bill would offer a one size fits all approach and a lack of discretion offered to judges in sentencing guidelines. Newly elected Democratic Rep. Mike Foote told CBS4, “It’s a one-size-fits-all solution, and sometimes one size doesn’t fit all.”

If one-size-fits-all approach includes sending child rapists and murderers into a black hole of torture for a thousand lifetimes, sounds good.  Currently, Colorado’s sentencing guidelines for child rapists span two to 16 years in jail.

Democrats even had the audacity to vote “no” after Jessica Lundford’s dad, Mark, gave emotional testimony about the importance of this legislation in the clip below.

Lunsford tearfully told the committee, “We hear about all this discretion and recidivism rates.  How many times do these children have to go through it before somebody does something?”  He later told CBS4 that Coloradans should “start an army that comes to your Capitol and kick your legislators right in the posterior.”

Indeed.