The headline on the Senate Democratic press release: “BREAKING: Republicans vote to make your wait longer to get a concealed carry permit.”
Sen. Kevin Grantham (CGA)
Sen. Mike Johnston (CGA)
The response from Senate Republicans: “Dem theatrics.”
The dueling responses came after Senate Republicans, who have the majority, on Thursday voted down an amendment Democrats said would have “significantly” reduced the waiting period for a background check for a concealed carry permit. The amendment would have provided $369,323 to hire 7.9 technicians to reducing the waiting time, which is around 54 days. The fee for a background check from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is $52.50.
In a floor debate before the vote, Sen. Kent Lambert, chairman of the Joint Budget Committee, called the additional money “superfluous and unnecessary,” arguing the bureau could do a better job. The Colorado Springs Republican also said if Democrats want to speed up the process, they should get rid of the state background checks and just rely on a national check from the FBI.
Colorado’s tried that system before, but former GOP Gov. Bill Owens halted it and restored state background checks. More later on the tragedy that led to Owens’ decision.
The amendment was made to a spending bill for the Colorado Department of Public Safety. It failed on an 18-17 party line vote.
“As a gun owner, I find this offensive,” Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, said in a news release after the amendment was killed.
“Taxpayers are paying fees to get a public service. These are funds that have already been collected and are sitting in a bank, and they are intentionally delaying this service. Letap provide this public service appropriately and efficiently. We shouldn’t make people wait to get a concealed carry permit because of political games.”
Sen. Kevin Grantham, R-Cañon City, fired back in a release from the Senate Republicans.
“Senate Democrats once again showed their lack of understanding for gun ownership and the Second Amendment today. CBI is riddled with problems and Democrats have never found a bureaucrat they don’t want to hire. Unfortunately for the Democrats, they are two years and two recalls too late to this issue,” he said.
Voters in 2013 over their gun votes. as voters in her district were attempting to force a recall.
As for feds handling background checks, here’s a 1999 story from the Rocky Mountain News about why why Owens’ halted the practice.
CBI WILL RESUME GUN CHECKS AFTER TRIPLE SLAYING, COLORADO WON’T RELY ON FBI TO INVESTIGATE BACKGROUNDS OF BUYERS
Author: John SankoNews Capitol Bureau
Gov. Bill Owens on Thursday ordered the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to resume responsibility for background checks on gun buyers.
“Last week’s tragic murder of three young girls in Castle Rock revealed a gaping hole in the federal background check system,” Owens said. “I am acting today to have the CBI close that gaping hole.”
Owens said he was troubled by the possibility that the girls’ deaths might have been avoided if the state had been performing background checks instead of the FBI.
The CBI performed background checks until March, when the legislature in a cost-saving move killed the program in favor of the federal system run by the FBI.
That system failed to detect a restraining order against Simon Gonzales of Castle Rock when he bought a handgun on June 22. Hours later he used it to kill his three daughters. Officers later killed Gonzales, who was estranged from his wife, in a shootout outside the Castle Rock police station.
Federal gun laws prohibit the purchase of weapons by people with restraining orders, felony convictions or a history of mental illness.
However, the FBI data bank doesn’t contain many of Colorado’s 50,000 to 60,000 restraining orders or a complete list of people with criminal records. The FBI’s rejection rate on gun purchases is about 1 percent, compared to the CBI’s 6 percent.
