Whistling Pines Gun Club

What we do now is problematic, unfortunately there is no quick fix for the challenges we face now and in the future.

A Three Pronged Approach

Electoral: 

In order to overturn these laws, we would need a republican majority in the House, Senate and a republican Governor (or at least a Governor who is pro 2nd Amendment.)  A significant challenge to be sure and one that is not possible until the next election.
There are several recall campaigns in effect to try to oust the Governor and the lawmakers behind these bills. Visit the Basic Freedom Defense Fund to learn more and to volunteer.

In addition to the recall campaigns, elections are coming in 2014, we need to send a strong message to lawmakers that they cannot disregard the Second Amendment without repercussions!

Judicial:

The laws recently passed and signed by the Governor are slated to take effect in July.  At that time lawsuits will be filed to challenge the bans. This will be a lengthy and expensive process. Visit the Independence Institute for more information and to donate for the cause.

Constitutional: 

There is also a movement to put forward a ballot initiative so that Colorado voters can decide gun ownership issues for themselves. Called Citizens for a Safer Colorado, the group behind this initiative has stated: “We intend to clarify and modify the Colorado Constitution in a way that overturns the recent spate of laws and makes it more difficult to pass similar ones in the future.” The website is www.asafercolorado.com go here to help with petitions and other activities. As this initiative is just underway, we will keep you posted as to future events and actions.

Our forefathers fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy today, freedoms that are under attack like never before. In Colorado we have lost rights that were guaranteed to us in the Constitution. This we have to change. We have to fight back.

Why the Anti-Gun Fanatics Targeted Colorado

Colorado Anti Gun Laws Passed – Attack on the Second Amendment

Virtual President Bill Whittle Talks About Gun Control

Michael Bloomberg is a billionaire; he is the mayor of New York City, he is the co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, he is the patron saint of the nanny state and he might just be the worst threat to the Second Amendment in the United States.

He can drape himself in all of the American flags in the world and it won’t change the fact that this “no big gulps allowed,” social liberal is fundamentally against one of the most important founding concepts of our nation. If you think we are just being paranoid, read on…

The six anti gun bills passed in Colorado have come right out of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns (and the Brady Center) playbook.  Don’t underestimate the psychological impact of passing anti-gun legislation in a western state where guns and gun culture are prevalent. But why Colorado?

State Legislatures Republican vs. Democrat

First we need to examine the makeup of the western state legislatures:

Red: Republican majority in state house and senate
Blue: Democrat majority in state house and senate

• California already has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation.
• New Mexico and Nevada have Republican governors.
• In Oregon, the state senate has 16 democrats and 14 republicans – only one democrat to switch would derail any legislation.
• In Washington state the House just failed to pass an anti-gun bill that in its original writing had a provision that would have allowed sheriffs to enter and inspect the homes of owners of “assault weapons” on an annual basis.

Washington SB 5737

This last point is so unbelievable we have to expand upon it, the law SB 5737 stated, “In order to continue to possess and assault weapon that was legally possessed on the effective date of this section, the person possessing the assault weapon shall do all of the following:
(a) Safely and securely store the assault weapon. The sheriff of the county may, no more than once per year, conduct an inspection to ensure compliance with this subsection;”  If you failed to allow the sheriff to enter your home on a warrantless search, you could get up to a year in jail.

The bill’s co-sponsor Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, said he did not know the bill authorized police searches because he had not read it closely. Could this language have been provided by the New York lawyers from Mayors for Illegal Guns and accidentally left in the bill? (For the record, they blamed the language on an “unnamed staffer.”) You can read more about this issue here and see the original text of Senate Bill 5737 here.

Battleground Colorado

As of this writing the Colorado Legislature breaks down as follows:

House of Representatives: D: 36 R: 29
Senate: D: 19 R: 16
Governor: John Hickenlooper (D)

This democratic majority control made Colorado a perfect place to pass anti-gun legislation.

Furthermore, the Senate Majority Leader is John Morse. His anti-gun positions are well documented and incredibly, he is from our own District 11 in Colorado Springs. As he is in his second term and will be ineligible to run again in 2014, we would like to begin a conversation around a simple concept: Take Back District 11. 

As we have said many times at Whistling Pines Gun Club, we are non-partisan with one exception – The Second Amendment! We have members who are conservative and liberal, republican and democrat and regardless of political affiliation we support the right to bear arms! When the race for District 11 begins, you better believe we will be asking the question: Do you support the 2nd Amendment?

Read More:

Colorado Gun Control – What do we do now?

Colorado Anti Gun Laws Passed – Attack on the Second Amendment

Virtual President Bill Whittle Talks About Gun Control

On March 20^th behind closed doors, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed three gun control bills and decimated the Second Amendment. We consider that we lost a battle but not the war.

So far, six anti-gun bills have been passed by democrats in the state Senate and House and signed into law by our anti-gun Governor John Hickenlooper:

HB 1043 Definition of a Deadly Weapon – The bill modifies the existing definition of a deadly weapon so that a firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, qualifies as a deadly weapon regardless of the manner in which it is used or intended to be used. Signed by the Governor on 3/15/2013

HB 1229 Mass Registration on all Gun Purchase – Anyone who tries to transfer a gun to another person must obtain a background check on the buyer and approval from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. This is buried in the text of the Bill: …the clerk of the court of every judicial district in the state shall periodically report the following information to THE COLORADO BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION CREATED AND EXISTING PURSUANT TO SECTION 24-33.5-401, C.R.S., AND TO the national instant criminal background check system created by the federal “Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act” Our qustion is, “How long will this information be kept and how will it be used in the future?” Signed by the Governor 03/20/2013

HB 1228 Increased Tax for Gun Purchase to cover Background check – The Colorado bureau of investigation (CBI) shall impose a fee for performing an instant criminal background check. Signed by the Governor 03/20/2013

HB 1224 “High Capacity Magazine”Ban - The bill prohibits the sale, transfer, or possession of an ammunition feeding device that is capable of accepting, or that can be readily converted to accept, more than 15 rounds of ammunition or more than 28 inches of shotgun shells. If you own a high capacity magazine on July 1, 2013 and maintain continuous possession you are grandfathered. Signed by the Governor 03/20/2013

They are not done yet! More bills are pending and, in the state of Colorado, more restrictions are coming. Still in Committee are:

SB 197 Restrict Gun Access for People Accused of Domestic Violence – If your spouse accuses you of domestic violence the State can take your guns!

SB195 Forced Additional Training Requirements to Obtain Concealed Carry Weapon Permit – Restricts individuals from completing concealed carry training over the internet or in locations other than in the presence of the instructor.

See below to find out how to get involved.

Read More:

Colorado Gun Control – What do we do now?

Why the Anti-Gun Fanatics Targeted Colorado

Virtual President Bill Whittle Talks About Gun Control

If you haven’t seen the Bill Whittle video below, please take seven minutes out of your life and watch it! It is being billed as the best 7 minutes on gun control and we agree:

So many things he says are spot on, but the one thing that keeps resonating with us is that they are trying to stop the leopard by cutting the horns off of the gazzelle.

The restrictions enacted in the state of Colorado, the stripping away of our 2nd Amendment rights is not about stopping the leopard, its about stopping us – law abiding citizens. (Not that we are gazzelles!) Its about the anti-gun activists targeting us because in this state – they can.

Why Colorado? Click the link below to find out…

Read More:

Colorado Gun Control – What do we do now?

Why the Anti-Gun Fanatics Targeted Colorado

Colorado Anti Gun Laws Passed – Attack on the Second Amendment

Yesterday was a tumultuous day at the Colorado state capital. While lawmakers debated seven bills aimed at restricting gun access ownership and usage, hundreds of pro-second amendment activists took to the capital in protest.  An airplane even flew overhead with a banner that read “Hick, Don’t Take Our Guns”

Colorado Sheriffs line up in favor of the Second Amendment

By the end of the day, two Democrat-controlled Senate committees had passed all seven of the bills regarding stricter gun control. Here is what we potentially have in store for us:

• BACKGROUND CHECKS: House Bill 1229 would add a universal background-check requirement for most guns sold in private transactions. The bill’s sponsor Sen. Morgan Carroll said, “I’m confident this will keep guns away from those who should not have guns.” An amendment was added that provides a 72-hour window during which a gun owner can transfer possession of a gun to an immediate family member without a background check — provided that the family member can legally possess a firearm.
• AMMUNITION LIMITS: House Bill 1224 limits gun ammunition magazines to 15 rounds. This bill also restricts the sale of magazines that can be readily converted to a higher capacity by removing the base plate. It also restricts shotguns to eight shells.
• FIREARM BAN FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENDERS: Senate Bill 197 would expand a ban on gun ownership for people convicted of certain domestic-violence offenses. It also restricts anyone who is the subject of a restraining order from possessing a firearm. The bill “is nothing short of insanity,” said Evan Todd, a Columbine High School shooting survivor. “It creates even more gun-free zones than already exist.”
• GUNS ON CAMPUS: House Bill 1226 would end Colorado’s unusual law barring public college campuses from banning concealed weapons. The Democratic-sponsored bill has already cleared the House.
• ONLINE GUN TRAINING: Senate Bill 195 would require people seeking concealed carry permits to take gun training courses in person.
• BACKGROUND CHECK FEES: House Bill 1228 would revive fees for gun purchasers who need background checks. It is estimated that the fees would run in the $10 to $12 dollar range, however the bill offers no set fee.
• GUN LIABILITY: Senate Bill 196 adds legal liability for gun sellers and owners. Sponsored by Senate President John Morse, manufacturers and sellers of semiautomatic rifles could be sued for violent acts committed with the guns if they “negligently entrusted” an assault-style weapon to someone whom they “reasonably should have known might use the weapon” to cause harm.  Under this bill “break open” shotguns would be considered an “assault weapon.” Also a Ruger 10/22, the rifle most boy scouts use to safely learn to shoot, would be outlawed.

If automobile manufacturers and liquor stores are not held liable for drunks and car accidents, how can gun manufacturers and gun stores (Us!) be held responsible for the future actions of gun buyers?

Sen. John Morse claiming the Semi-automatic rifles, “don’t serve a useful public service.”

Perhaps what bothers us most about all of this is that Senate President, John Morse is from Colorado Springs.  How did we twice elect such an anti gun activist in District 11?  In 2014, this needs to change.  We need to unite as responsible gun owners and defend these attacks on the 2nd Amendment.

In January we published this post on how to identify and contact your Colorado State Representatives. 

It is important to note, that while these bills have passed the committees, they have not yet become law.  You need to reach out to your representatives and send the message that you do not support these restrictions on your rights.

Stay Tuned…