Once Again: No One Is Trying To Ban Your Shotgun

17 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

SUNDAY UPDATE: Very little mainstream media pickup to report for Sen. Greg Brophy's transparent and silly attempt to confound the debate over House Bill 13-1224. A smattering of right wing properties like Breitbart News, Michelle Malkin's Twitchy, and the right-leaning Washington Times have posted low-information blurbs alleging that there is someone–anyone–in the state of Colorado who wants to "ban shotguns." It appears that most other outlets correctly deduced how stupid that is, and what the true motivations for this inane little freakout really were.

Since most of our readers are familiar with Sen. Brophy's trademark shamelessness, let us say we feel kind of bad for CBS4 reporter Shaun Boyd for getting used like this. Then again, she probably should have paid more attention to the nonsense she was being breathlessly pitched.
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The gun debate takes another turn for the stupid, as CBS4's Shaun Boyd obligatively reports:

A popular hunting shotgun could be banned under one of the bills moving through the state Capitol.

A pump or semi-automatic shotgun is the gun most hunters in Colorado use. It’s a gun state Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, says could be banned under a bill that’s already passed the House and Gov. John Hickenlooper says he’ll sign.

“They’re coming after the standard shotgun,” Brophy told CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd.

So, here's the deal: Sen. Greg Brophy demonstrated on television news how you can unscrew the tube magazine of a standard pump-action (or semiautomatic) shotgun and add an extender, which would raise its capacity above House Bill 13-1224's prescribed eight-round maximum for shotguns. Note that the maximum capacity extension in this case is limited by the length of the shotgun barrel–most extenders we've found online raise the capacity of a tube-magazine shotgun from the usual five to either eight or ten rounds.

In short, what you've got here is, at most, a situation where a minor amendment to the bill is called for–either exempting tube-magazine shotguns mindful of their inherent limits, or adding language banning the tube magazine extensions Brophy is talking about. Nothing about this situation, in the very most charitable interpretation an unintended consequence to be amended and helpfully pointed out by Sen. Brophy, adds up to validate the accusation "they're coming after the standard shotgun."

But as we've told you over and over again, folks, valid accusations are not what this is about.

That's the headline at the top of the Drudge Report right now, one of the largest nationwide conservative "news" aggregators. The whole purpose of Sen. Brophy's rant about "banning shotguns" to Shaun Boyd, willfully ignorant of the legislative process he is part of, was to produce this bogus headline, which will now be disseminated to all corners of the online conservative infosphere. By Monday, most if not all of the pro-gun witnesses testifying against the bill will believe this nonsense without question. As you know, no one has any intention of banning shotguns in the Colorado legislature–or even AR-15s for that matter. Sen. Brophy knows it. Sen. Brophy knows, assuming there is even a problem here, exactly how to fix it. Democrats have already said they would accommodate him.

Just as with the over-the-top falsehood that background checks would "prohibit the private transfer of firearms," or any of the wilder conspiracy theories lurking beneath just about every contemporary debate on gun safety legislation, the purpose here is not to have a rational debate.

Sen. Brophy and the opponents of these bills are doing everything they can to make this debate irrational.

17 thoughts on “Once Again: No One Is Trying To Ban Your Shotgun”

DavidThi808 says:

March 2, 2013 at 10:21 am

I think what we may be seeing with the gun nuts is a form of group mental issue. Similar to what we had for 80+ years after the civil war where most white Southerners viewed the Jim Crow laws as what God intended. There was no logic behind those laws and there is no logic to needing magazines holding even 10 shots.

But like it was in the South, people are immune to logic because their gun ownership has become a part of who they are. And so only outside intervention will work.

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1. roccoprahn says:
  
  March 2, 2013 at 10:45 am
  
  That's absolutely right. It's who they are, their identity.
  
  Kudos to VP Biden, who held literally dozens (I'm not exaggerating) of round table discussions with the most important players in this dynamic, law enforcement, before announcing anything. When he went to Capitol Hill, when the sessions started, the Administration knew National Law Enforcement is behind the attempts to do something.
  
  When the President came out with the 23 Executive Orders he was carefull. And the legislation is very laser targeted.
  
  But the fact Law enforcement is behind this changes the dynamic dramatically. It literally forced the gun nuts to actually say they need semi automatic weapons, military assault fire arms and large capacity magazines to defend themselves against the police. And that was a huge mistake by the industry's spokes people. This admission by the nra and rmgo locally has really turned this into what it should be…..a struggle between rational people and extremists.
  
  brophy really stepped in it with this one on the shotgun. It's too easy to correct, and he ends up looking like……..usual.
  
  But Craig's right. The Democrats need to get all 7 Bills through post haste. If it drags out, the republican swiftboat attempt could derail it. Next week, if possible.
  
  Time is of the essence. All citizens meetings and State Senator and Rep meetups need to be under police protection as well. There are way too many 2nd amendment bastardizing lunatics out there to leave it to chance. Better safe than sorry. And the old saying holds true. Nobody's a gun crazy lunatic untill they are.
  
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DavidThi808 says:

March 2, 2013 at 10:26 am

Aside from making up for having a small penis, what purpose is there in having a large magazine? If you're hunting and miss on the first shot when the animal is standing still, you're definitely going to miss when it's running away.

If you're being attacked by someone, if they are very close 1 or 2 shots will either aka them out or have them running. If they are distant, then merely brandishing a weapon will be sufficient.

As to stories like the single mom protecting her family from a Hells Angels squad with a semi and 200 rounds of ammunition, does that ever happen outside of the movies?

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1. Gray in Mountains says:
  
  March 2, 2013 at 11:31 am
  
  I think the sound of a shotgun being racked would get most burglars on the run
  
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  1. La Libertad says:
    
    March 2, 2013 at 2:36 pm
    
    Then again maybe not. Why are you Democrats failing to heed the calls of Colorado Sheriffs, citizens and other society members who's ability to protect themselves is being compromised by your radical self center opinions and judgements.
    
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    1. DavidThi808 says:
      
      March 2, 2013 at 4:22 pm
      
      Why? Because they're wrong. You're safer if there is no gun in your house. When an opinion is wrong, the fact that it's strongly held does not give it any validity.
      
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      1. roccoprahn says:
        
        March 2, 2013 at 4:33 pm
        
        Correct.
        
        And not that "strongly held" either. The vast and overwhelming law enforcement to the banning of goober owned assault weapons and high cap mag's is positive. More than positive, it's being met with relief.
        
        PUtad, detail exactly how is a gun goon's ability to protect himself being "compromised", in any way, shape or form, at any time, under any circumstance, by ANY proposed piece of legislation.
        
        No redleg hit and run bullshit this time, PUtad. Quit screwing around, do the work.
        
        That's not a request PUtad.. Detail it or be called the hack, quack, fraud and phony I allready know you to be by all.
        
        Get it done. Now.
        
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      2. BlueCat says:
        
        March 2, 2013 at 8:04 pm
        
        And, on the subject of most proposed gun control masures, they're in the minoririty. Most of the public supports universal background checks and a ban on high capacity magazines. Look it up, La.
        
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2. DaftPunk says:
  
  March 3, 2013 at 7:17 pm
  
  Furthermore, the pro-gun argument that high cap mag bans don't do squat since it only takes a second to reload (just ask the geriatric gang who took out Tucson shooter Loughner when he was reloading) is nonsense. If you can reload so quickly, how is the ban any kind of hardship? If you can't , maybe there really is a public safety benefit.
  
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3. allyncooper says:
  
  March 4, 2013 at 11:15 am
  
  Hunting regulations require that only a limited number of shells/cartridges can be used. I used to hunt small game in PA and the limit for a shotgun was 3 shells – one in the chamber and two in the magazine. Shotguns used for hunting had to be "plugged" to comply. I was hunting one day with a companion and a game warden approached us, checked our licenses, then asked us to unload our shotguns and hand them to him. I had a 12 ga. pump which he then reloaded to check the shotgun was legal. It was.
  
  Interesting how hunting regulations limit capacity in the interest of safety and sporting fairness to game animals, but the same doesn't apply to humans.
  
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  1. Gray in Mountains says:
    
    March 4, 2013 at 2:07 pm
    
    DOWs across the land limit weapons by muzzle velocity, ammo and type of gun. Yet the NRA and the loons are not out there proclaiming that their local DOW is "infringing" their 2A rights. In some states such as IN you can not ever use a rifle for hunting because of residential density.
    
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4. marklane1351 says:
  
  May 11, 2013 at 8:10 pm
  
  You know a lot of people like to hunt geese, and some of those people feel the need to shoot down an entire flock of geese and if you have an assault rifle and good aim this is possible.
  
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Craig says:

March 2, 2013 at 10:39 am

Once, again, reason for the Dems in the Senate to get their asses in gear and get this done. As long as this drags on, they are going to continue to beat you over the head and think up more outrageous situatuions that don't really happen and that won't affect anyone. GET ON WITH IT before you lose your nerve. What is wrong with you people.

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1. roccoprahn says:
  
  March 2, 2013 at 10:48 am
  
  Concur.
  
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  1. La Libertad says:
    
    March 2, 2013 at 2:38 pm
    
    Nerve shouldn't be the driver of making changes in our law. Your just exposing the flaws in purported principles.
    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAcYErAoVP0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
    
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    1. roccoprahn says:
      
      March 2, 2013 at 4:35 pm
      
      Get that assignment done.
      
      Now.
      
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yameniye says:

March 3, 2013 at 6:32 am

Should be taking Brophy's guns away before he hurts himself or someone else. It must a sight to watch him take the kick and not fall down.

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