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March 01, 2013 09:10 AM UTC

Why i$ Rocky Mountain Gun Owners $o Fired Up?

  • 22 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

gunmarket

FRIDAY UPDATE: A look at some of the ads at the Colorado Gun Market gives one an indication of why the site's parent "nonprofit organization," Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, is so up in arms about background checks. Here's an ad on display right now for a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle, complete with two extra 30-round Magpul magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition:

Terms of sale: Cash. Sale will be completed in a public, well lit place of my choosing. You…must appear to look over 21. You must appear not to be a criminal, look funny, drool, say odd things or in any way appear to be banned from owning guns. If anything looks funny or smells fishy, no sale. Also, you will come alone as will I…

On the one hand, you have retail sales and gun shows, where a Colorado Bureau of Investigations background check is required to sell a gun. And on the other, you have RMGO's website, where you can sell assault weapons complete with Magpul magazines and enough ammo to do something really tragic–and the buyer need only (in this case, anyway) "appear to look over 21."

Bottom line: the very same organization making money off these unaccountable sales of guns, providing a marketplace to make buying a gun without a background check in Colorado as easy as eBay, is flooding the halls of the Capitol with angry gun lovers to stop the background check loophole from being closed.

It really is as bad as it looks. And they must not be allowed to get away with it.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, which bills itself as "Colorado's only no-compromise gun rights organization," has led the campaign against gun safety legislation before the Colorado legislature this year. As we've covered in this space as this debate has unfolded, RMGO has a motivated following, and when they say "no compromise" they mean it–even to the point of wanted existing laws requiring background checks for retail gun sales repealed.

RMGO also, particularly in contentious moments like these, raises lots of money, which pays the salaries of RMGO staff like the organization's director Dudley Brown in addition to funding their campaign ads, mailers, and other paid communications. In addition to accepting donations, RMGO sells "memberships" in the organization.

As it turns out, membership has its privileges. Dudley Brown's Rocky Mountain Gun Owners group operates a website called the Colorado Gun Market–basically, a website intended to connect private buyers of guns with sellers. The site's FAQ states that "posts and purchases are handled by individuals and must be done so according to Colorado law." As you know, at the present, Colorado law allows firearms to be sold in "private transactions" without a background check. In an effort to close this loophole, Democrats have proposed HB13-1229, which requires a background check be performed for these types of private sales.

As we said, RMGO opposes HB13-1229 in the strongest possible terms.This ad for RMGO appears at the top of the Colorado Gun Market website:

Warning-Site-Shutdown

You see, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners has more than a philosophical interest in keeping the so-called "background check loophole" unclosed. As the operator of the Colorado Gun Market website, RMGO facilitates the unregulated private sale of an unknown (but presumably significant) number of guns in this state. RMGO doesn't collect a fee for these ads per se, but only paying RMGO members ($30 per year) are allowed to post ads. Anyone can respond to the ads, and–bottom line here–the guns are sold with no background check.

The fact is, passage of HB13-1229 would not necessarily force the shut down of the Colorado Gun Market–it would simply require that purchasers of firearms undergo the same background check retail buyers of guns do.

If requiring background checks would, ipso facto, result in the shut down of this website, the next logical question must be this: what kinds of gun sales were happening there to begin with? Isn't it possible that a Craig's List of grey market gun sales is exactly the kind of thing that justifies this bill?

Far too often, when it seems like someone must have an ulterior motive to be so angry, they do.

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22 thoughts on “Why i$ Rocky Mountain Gun Owners $o Fired Up?”

    1. Yes, Ari, to the gunshops, manufacturers, and lobby groups, it most definitely is about the money.

      But with the subgroups, the "2nd Amendment bastardizers", the teabaggers that see firearms as a tool of intimidation against the rest of us, the wacko birthers, the Anti-guvbmints", the every day gun nuts that read a little here and there, watch "the nra channel", and in general terms are simply uneducated as well as callous about people getting shot, there's passion there.

      There's a great sense of entitlement in the gun culture. It's been so easy for so long, any effort they have to expend selling, purchasing, back ground checks, actually going to class to get a CCW, is met with great push back.

      The old SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) is not in affect in that crowd. Any effort is too much when you're used to expending none.

      So I guess the math dictates that the industry pretends all the bullshit they're putting out is true, and the "2nd amendment types" eat it up.

      And it adds up to…………..chaching!

      1. Wait a second, the guns are not for intimidation, they are a response to all the guns you and your government use to intimidate us into be good little citizens (confiscatory taxation rates).

         

        If you guys really hated guns, you would demand your precious government disarm…

        1. nock, did you just say, actually admit, that "the guns" are a response by fire to taxation the Government of the United States imposes?

          So the assault weapons are now no longer for hunting or target practice, but rather to shoot people?

          Are you sure? You meant that?

          "Not for intimidation, they are a response to all the guns you and YOUR GOVERNMENT use to intimidate us………….."

          Think about what you're about to post before you post it, you dumb fuck. You just threatened peoples' lives.

          Look, I don't take it literally, as you usually don't have the balls to return a post, much less shoot people, but not everybody thinks you're as harmless and flaccid as I do.

          On another note, you at least understand and admit you have no claim to call this nation yours'. You never served her, you know you're a taker, and at least you admit you only squat here.

          "your precious government" quote gave you away.

          1. So now you've threatened to shoot Nock?  Go back to the hole you crawled out of and cuddle with your worthless gun.  Ever heard of a bunker buster bomb.  Another straw-man put up by the right wing gun–nut crowd.

  3. Huh? RMGO is a nonprofit. If they charged by the ad, you'd have a case. All this is is a service to their members.

    Do you fools believe you can stop private individuals from making private transcactions? Good luck!

        3. And, I'm sure that all these members, what all 20 of them, are declaring this "gift" on their tax return as income.  You people are so stupid,  I got to tell you, when the IRS reads that a non-profit is giving gifts to its members, well, they're not going to be a very happy group.   Moron.

  5. I have actually used the RMGO site to buy one gun and sell one gun. Of course I had to "join" RMGO for $30 a year to do so. I have no interest in their agenda, but the reality is it was the only marketplace I could utilize to buy and sell, and why that is will be explained later. 

    I purchased a large caliber handgun for the primary use of bear protection in the mountains. This was an intrastate purchase between private parties which legally required no background check. Both seller and buyer being responsible citizens (the seller was actually an ordained minister) did due diligence to verify our identities  (mutual checking of drivers license, etc). Seller also told me he investigated me, i.e reviewed my business website, etc.  Seller was further assured I was legally entitled to own a weapon by my possession of a concealed carry permit, which of course is issued only after a comprehensive background check and a firearms safety course. A bill of sale was executed with serial number, consideration paid, and with buyer warranting to seller that the weapon would only be used for lawfull purposes.

    I sold a shotgun in an interstate sale to a buyer in Conneticut and complied with federal law for such transactions by shipment to a federally licensed firearms dealer verified on the ATF website which did a background check before transfer to the buyer.

    I would hope all parties in a private intrastate sale would be as responsible as I and the seller was, but unfortunately that is not always the case.  As Ronald Reagan once said "trust, but verify", so I support HB 1229.

    RMGO is able to make money off the intrastate firearms marketplace because other marketplaces like Craig's List and newspaper classifieds (print and online) won't accept ads for the sale of firearms, not because it is illegal to do so, but because of the inherent problems and liability issues.  RMGO therefore has this market cornered, it has no competition.

    Legal firearms are personal property and therefore there should be a legitimate and open marketplace for the purchase and sale of such property between individuals, albeit with background checks as a matter of public policy and safety.

    If HB 1229 becomes law, RMGO could lose its monopoly on the marketplace because other markets may open up in competition to RMGO. In my view, that would be a good thing.

     

     

     

    1. Monopoly protection, too? Well done, Pols, and well written, allyn!

      BTW, the RMGO is sending out emails asking gun-lovers to flood Sen. Jeanne Nicholson's town halls, targeting her (but they might be going after others, too). She's tough enough and sharp enough to easily handle their questions, but I bet she'd love some support for her fine work in the interests of health and safety (which have been her general lifetime ambitions, as far as I can see).

    2. To the NSA agents who are undoubtedly monitoring this site due to the Patriot Act passed by idiot Republicans, I hope that you will forward this blog trail to the IRS guys as there are admissions of all sorts of illegal conduct on this site concerning some posters and RMGO.

  6. "You must appear not to be a criminal, look funny, drool, say odd things or in any way appear to be banned from owning guns."

    The absense of drooling is a sure sign you're OK to own a weapon. 

     

    "you must appearYou must appear not to be a criminal, look funny, drool, say odd things or in any way appear to be banned from owning guns. If anything looks funny or smells fishy, no sale. Also, you – See more at: http://coloradopols.com/diary/38670/why-rocky-mountain-gun-owners-is-so-fired-up#commentsYou must appear not to be a criminal, look funny, drool, say odd things or in any way appear to be banned from owning guns. If anything looks funny or smells fishy, no sale. Also, you – See more at: http://coloradopols.com/diary/38670/why-rocky-mountain-gun-owners-is-so-fired-up#comments

  7. And Finally.  What is the Democratic Senate waiting for.  The longer you wait, the worse this will get.  Get these things passed.  If you can't then gtive it up.  But get what you can passed so we can get on with the business of the state and stop having to hear this shit from Dudley Brown and his minions.

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