May 07, 2018 04:55 PM UTC

Mitchell and Robinson Support 'Red Flag' Bill; Lopez is against it; and Stapleton Won't Say, Radio Host Reports

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• by: Jason Salzman

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

UPDATE: A reader kindly pointed out to me that Stapleton came out against the bill on Saturday. He answers a question about the legislation here beginning at 19 min 30 seconds. He says, in part, “I know the bill. I have not read the bill verbatim. My concerns with the bill are, number one, as I have experienced during my career at the treasurer’s office during seven legislative sessions, eight to be completed, no bill that gets introduced during the last 10 days is a good piece of legislation. Nothing that’s rushed ever makes sense. And my concern is, this bill was introduced during the last couple days of the legislative session. ..  I am deeply concerned about the due process and lack of due process associated with the bill and what can be done to redress some sort of decision that was made on an individual unfairly….”

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Prior to his show on KNUS Saturday, host Craig Silverman reached out to all the Republican gubernatorial candidates to find out where they stand on the “red flag” bill, which allows law enforcement officials to ask the courts for permission to seize guns from people who are deemed to pose a “significant risk” to themselves or others.

Silverman (at 9 minutes here): “Victor Mitchell wrote back, and he said, I favor the bill. Doug Robinson wrote back, I favor the bill. You know what, I favor those responses. Greg Lopez wrote a response. It’s unbelievable, the statement he released in opposition to this [proposed] law. If it was a seventh grade paper, I’d give it a D. It makes no sense. It starts with a double negative. And it gets worse after that. And Greg Lopez, I like you, brother, and you came to my studio, and I was there when you gave that speech to the Assembly, but you are not going to get my vote. Maybe you’ll get other people’s votes…

As for Walker Stapleton, he has not gotten back to me. Anybody who knows Walker Stapleton’s position on this issue, give me a call, 303-696-1971 [studio line].”

Despite the support from some Republicans, it appears the red-flag bill, which was passed by the Colorado state house Friday, will die in the state senate, but not just because the GOP members of the Senate’s State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee, which will consider the bill, oppose the legislation.

In fact all the chamber’s Republican members would vote against it, according to GOP Senate Majority Leader Chris Holbert, as reported by the Denver Post’s Jesse Paul Reported today:

When asked about potential GOP support for the legislation — House Bill 1436 — in the Republican-controlled Senate, Grantham and others brushed off the notion.

“There is no divide in the Senate,” Senate Majority Leader Chris Holbert, R-Parker, told reporters.