At first glance, Democrat Governor John Hickenlooper’s signing statement from yesterday’s gun control bill signing seemed odd, but perhaps Queen of Colorado Political Media, the Denver Post‘s Lynn Bartels, hit the nail on the head when she tweeted the following:
Can’t remember another bill signed into law that needed a disclaimer on here’s how it is supposed to work. #magban #coleg
— Lynn Bartels (@lynn_bartels) March 21, 2013
First, the statement starts out with a mea culpa and some backpedaling:
“In signing HB13-1224, we acknowledge that some have expressed concerns about the vagueness of the law’s definition of “large-capacity magazine.” By its terms, the law does make illegal any magazine manufactured or purchased after July 1, 2013, that is capable of accepting, or is designed to be readily converted to accept, more that 15 rounds of ammunition. Similar language is used in other states’ statutes limiting large-capacity magazines.”
Translation: Other states do it, we’re really not the bad guy here. Well, except that Colorado isn’t New York, and the state’s needs are different here.
Then, there was the most puzzling part, as noted by Bartels, the lengthy explanation of how this bill was supposed to be interpreted by the court.
“We also have heard concerns about the requirement in the law that a person who owns a large-capacity magazine prior to the law’s enactment may legally possess that magazine only as long as he or she “maintains continuous possession” of it. We do not believe a reasonable interpretation of the law means that a person must maintain continuous “physical” possession of these items. Responsible maintenance and handling of magazines obviously contemplates that gun owners may allow others to physically hold and handle them under appropriate circumstances. We are confident that law enforcement and the courts will interpret the statute so as to effectuate the lawful use and care of these devices.”
While we certainly hope that the courts interpret this law to account for temporary physical possession changes with as much leeway as possible, the fact remains that it’s not the Governor’s job to tell the courts how to rule. If he wanted the bill to be interpreted this way, he should have driven this legislation so that it actually read that way.
Again, we have to ask, who’s in charge in the State of Colorado?
We need a grassroots movement to vote out all of them. Fields, Hudak, Morse, Hickenlooper, all of them. Including the arapahoe county sheriff Grayson Robinson I think his name is.
No, he admitted that there are no 7 round magaziens. In the same breath, he said "you can only have 7 rounds in the magazine except at the shooting range"
Heinrich Hickenlooper
Didn't Cuomo just announce that the New York ban will be nullified as completely unworkable?
Since when did politician become a career, will someone please tell me that. Also Colorado being my home this whole fiasco leaves me doubting if its safe to have my family live and grow here anymore. I mean if this can happen, what else can they pull and when. I hate to say it but I have to think about my family's well being and my wife and I agree liberalism is not what we want in our family's upbringing, it would be like ling to them there whole lives about how the world works. I love it here but what am I supposed to do, hope that this wont happen again here or that it will all just go away? What happens next time they want to undo the 4th, 10th or 1st amendment here in Colorado just to see if they can? I have to worry about my kids learning in school from people like this?
I like Adolph… just sayin'…
Try it agin D.E.R. Hickengruber!
Facebook needs to quit translating my comments – when I say There Hickengruber that is what I mean.
Adolf Hickengruber is trying to play the nuanced word games started under the Clinton Administration and perfected by the UberObummer! As noted by 30 Colorado County Sheriff's the laws – as written – are totally unenforceable and are nothing more than a cosmetic, fell good, knee jerk reaction in order to appease his East Coast buddies. It is notable that John Morse urged his Democrat Senators to avoid "damage to their psyche" by deleting e-mails from the constituents they were elected to represent WITHOUT READING THEM. It is even more notable that There Hickengruber REFUSED to meet with the 30 Colorado County Sheriffs', responsible for enforcing Constitutional Legislation, to hear their concerns about the unenforceability of this poorly crafted feel good legislation! So, I guess in the State of Colorado, Constuitutional Rights and Heritage are FOR SALE to the Bloomberg's and Soros's of the world. The GoverNot and his Democrat henchmen/women in the State House have forgotten that they were elected to SERVE THE PEOPLE – not themselves!