It took years for Coloradans to get a responsible law that allowed the concealed carry of firearms so long as the individual acquired a permit through a rigorous background check and by supplying proof of in-person training in the handling of a weapon.
Prior to 2003, some counties issued concealed-carry permits to interested residents while others — such as Denver — only rarely did. But the law passed that year finally leveled the playing field for permits so long as its modest, but important, requirements were met.
Colorado sheriffs still have some discretion in granting permits, but only when an applicant has a restraining order against him or has drug-abuse issues — in other words, only when applicants demonstrably are a danger to themselves or others.
Now comes a bill in the state Senate that would jettison the permit requirement and basically allow anyone who legally owns a handgun to carry it concealed in in this state. Senate Bill 17, by Sen. Tim Neville, R-Littleton, is unnecessary and a setback to gun safety. And yet it passed out of its first committee last week.
Proponents of “constitutional carry” believe that concealed-carry requirements trample on the Second Amendment’s right to possess a firearm. What good is owning a firearm, they argue, if you can’t carry it around — or, more specifically, carry it where no one can see it?
And some argue that the permitting requirement imposes a financial hardship that is not tolerable when applied to a constitutional right.
Both arguments are unpersuasive. The application, including the fingerprint check, is not expensive, and the renewal is cheaper. And so long as government can’t arbitrarily refuse to issue a permit to a qualified individual, the Second Amendment is not compromised, either.
As for the training, most responsible gun owners seek training anyway — or already qualify as trained because of military service or other experience.
For years, Vermont was the only state that did not require a permit for concealed carry of firearms — and that was still the case when Colorado passed its law. More recently, however, other states have joined the constitutional carry list, including Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Maine, Vermont and Wyoming.
Colorado should stick with the law it has, which at the time of passage was hailed by Second Amendment proponents as one of the most expansive in the nation. Thirteen years later, it’s still a reasonable statute.
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