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Colorado Democrats said they will a introduce bill that would hold makers and sellers of assault-style weapons legally liable for any harm gunmen inflicted with them in a news conference Tuesday in which they called for a long list of tough new gun-control laws.
Party leaders made the announcement at a morning news conference in the West foyer of the state Capitol. Flanked by survivors and family of mass shootings at Columbine High School and at a theater in Aurora, party leaders touted their legislative goals as a "comprehensive" package of gun bills.
The Democrats did not release copies of the various bills.
Aside from the call for liability for makers and sellers of assault-style weapons, Democrats called for a limited-size ammunition magazines, fees for gun background checks, stricter training for concealed weapons permits and other prohibitions.
The call to hold liable makers and sellers of assault-style guns appears to be in conflict with a federal law passed by Congress in 2005, according to David Kopel, a University of Denver law professor and Second Amendment expert.
"The purpose of the (Protection of Lawful Commerce and Arms) act is to prevent firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable for crimes committed with their products," Kopel said in a recent e-mail. "However, both manufacturers and dealers can still be held liable for damages resulting from defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct, and other actions for which they are directly responsible."
A similar measure had been rejected by the Senate on March 2, 2004 after it had been combined with an extension to the assault weapons ban into a single piece of legislation.
The final bill passed only after an amendment was added that mandated safety locks on handguns and after the assault weapons ban renewal had been prevented from being added onto the bill.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who voiced support for universal background checks in his State of the State address, did not attend the press conference.
However, on Thursday Hickenlooper is scheduled to meet privately with National Rifle Association President David Keene. The NRA has voiced staunch opposition to any new firearms laws at the federal and state levels.
In a Denver Post article published Monday, even some Democrats voiced opposition to new gun laws.
"I'm not sure why Democrats here in Colorado and in Washington, D.C., think that more gun laws is the answer," said state Rep. Ed Vigil, D-Fort Garland. "Bans or extra requirements are not going to prevent crimes."
In the wake of recent mass shootings in Aurora and at an elementary in Newtown, Conn., a majority of state Democrats have voiced support for stricter gun laws. Meanwhile, Republicans have argued that such legislation is not the answer to preventing future mass shootings.
Since the legislative session convened in January, several rallies by supporters and opponents of new gun laws have drawn hundreds to the state Capitol.
And Democrats have already rejected a pair of Republican-led efforts to expand gun availability, including allowing teachers to carry guns in classrooms.
Staff writers Tim Hoover and Ryan Parker contributed to this report.
Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, [email protected] or twitter.com/kurtisalee
Read more: Colorado Democrats call for liability for makers of assault-style weapons - The Denver Post Colorado Democrats call for liability for makers of assault-style weapons - The Denver Post
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Colorado Democrats said they will a introduce bill that would hold makers and sellers of assault-style weapons legally liable for any harm gunmen inflicted with them in a news conference Tuesday in which they called for a long list of tough new gun-control laws.
Party leaders made the announcement at a morning news conference in the West foyer of the state Capitol. Flanked by survivors and family of mass shootings at Columbine High School and at a theater in Aurora, party leaders touted their legislative goals as a "comprehensive" package of gun bills.
The Democrats did not release copies of the various bills.
Aside from the call for liability for makers and sellers of assault-style weapons, Democrats called for a limited-size ammunition magazines, fees for gun background checks, stricter training for concealed weapons permits and other prohibitions.
The call to hold liable makers and sellers of assault-style guns appears to be in conflict with a federal law passed by Congress in 2005, according to David Kopel, a University of Denver law professor and Second Amendment expert.
"The purpose of the (Protection of Lawful Commerce and Arms) act is to prevent firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable for crimes committed with their products," Kopel said in a recent e-mail. "However, both manufacturers and dealers can still be held liable for damages resulting from defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct, and other actions for which they are directly responsible."
A similar measure had been rejected by the Senate on March 2, 2004 after it had been combined with an extension to the assault weapons ban into a single piece of legislation.
The final bill passed only after an amendment was added that mandated safety locks on handguns and after the assault weapons ban renewal had been prevented from being added onto the bill.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who voiced support for universal background checks in his State of the State address, did not attend the press conference.
However, on Thursday Hickenlooper is scheduled to meet privately with National Rifle Association President David Keene. The NRA has voiced staunch opposition to any new firearms laws at the federal and state levels.
In a Denver Post article published Monday, even some Democrats voiced opposition to new gun laws.
"I'm not sure why Democrats here in Colorado and in Washington, D.C., think that more gun laws is the answer," said state Rep. Ed Vigil, D-Fort Garland. "Bans or extra requirements are not going to prevent crimes."
In the wake of recent mass shootings in Aurora and at an elementary in Newtown, Conn., a majority of state Democrats have voiced support for stricter gun laws. Meanwhile, Republicans have argued that such legislation is not the answer to preventing future mass shootings.
Since the legislative session convened in January, several rallies by supporters and opponents of new gun laws have drawn hundreds to the state Capitol.
And Democrats have already rejected a pair of Republican-led efforts to expand gun availability, including allowing teachers to carry guns in classrooms.
Staff writers Tim Hoover and Ryan Parker contributed to this report.
Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, [email protected] or twitter.com/kurtisalee
Read more: Colorado Democrats call for liability for makers of assault-style weapons - The Denver Post Colorado Democrats call for liability for makers of assault-style weapons - The Denver Post
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: Terms of Use - The Denver Post
