Colorado becomes 15th state to have law that will allow
weapons to be seized from persons the court deems a significant risk to
themselves or others.
Author:
Caitlin Hendee, Marshall Zelinger
Published:
11:46 AM MDT April 12, 2019
Updated:
11:05 PM MDT April 12, 2019
DENVER — It's official: Colorado is now a state with a red flag law.
The
bill that will allow weapons to be seized from persons the court deems a
significant risk to themselves or others was signed by Gov. Jared Polis
(D) on Friday afternoon.
Colorado Gov. Polis
"This law will not prevent every
shooting, but it can be used in a targeted way to ensure those who are
suffering with a mental health crisis are able to temporarily have a
court order in place that helps make sure they don't harm themselves or
others," Polis said. "Many other states have passed similar laws they've
often seen it used in a very targeted and limited way, 100 or 150 times
a year. we expect a similar targeted approach here in Colorado."
The Colorado House on April 1 gave final approval to the bill in a
38-25 passing vote, with two Democrats voting against it: Rep. Bri
Buentello (D-Pueblo) and Rep. Donald Valdez (D-La Jara). Ultimately, no
Republicans voted in favor of the bill before it became law.
"These
kinds of issues when it comes to our rights and mental health and
safety, these aren't partisan issues and overwhelming majorities of
Democrats, Republicans, unaffiliated voters - vast majorities of gun
owners support this law," the governor said at the press conference.
Colorado
Republicans defeated a similar bill last year, insisting it infringed
on citizens' Second Amendment rights. But Democrats won both statehouse
chambers in November, and Polis called for a "red flag" law while
campaigning last year.
The law will allow family or law
enforcement to seek a court order to have guns seized if they believe
the owner is a threat. If approved, a subsequent court hearing would be
held to determine whether to extend the seizure, up to 364 days.
No comments:
Post a Comment