The following appears courtesy of the 5/7/00 online edition of The Denver Post newspaper: Rebuffed gun-control advocates regrouping By Mike Soraghan Denver Post Capitol Bureau May 7 - After Columbine, it seemed like nothing would ever be the same again in Colorado. But when it came to gun control in the Colorado Legislature, nothing changed. Legislators defeated most of the guncontrol bills proposed in response to Columbine, even though they had the strong support of Republican Gov. Bill Owens. And the gun lobby, which many expected to be in retreat after the worst school shooting in U.S. history, put three pro-gun bills put on Owens' desk. "I think legislators understand that none of these gun-control bills would have stopped Columbine," said Dudley Brown, executive director of the gun-lobbying group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. And those bills fell with a thud that will be heard around the nation. "If gun control had been more successful in Colorado, the national media would have heralded it as the end of the NRA and the Second Amendment," said National Rifle Association spokesman Jim Manown. "Instead, Colorado has fallen off the radar screen." The NRA showered its friends in the Legislature with more than $25,000 and activated its 90,000 members to defeat the signature piece of gun- control legislation - a measure to "close the gun-show loophole." But gun-control supporters say the battle is far from over, and Colorado is still "ground zero" in the gun debate. SAFE Colorado, the bipartisan gun-control lobbying group that formed after Columbine, is trying to end-run the Legislature, saying it's out of touch with Coloradans' feelings on gun issues. SAFE, which stands for Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic, is taking the gun-show measure to the ballot. If it passes, says SAFE lobbyist Tom Mauser, it will not only require background checks at gun shows, but energize gun-control efforts in Congress and all over the country. "If this happens in Colorado, a pro-gun state, then we can do it on the national level as well," said Mauser, who started lobbying for gun control after his son Daniel was killed at Columbine. This isn't how many expected the gun control debate to play out. In January, as legislators approached their first session since two student gunmen used four guns to kill 13 people at the suburban Denver high school, many signs indicated that the horrific shootings would push this western state toward gun control. Owens, who was elected with NRA support, had surprised many by coming out with a middle-of-the-road gun-control plan. And gun- control forces were organizing into a cohesive group with bipartisan support. Even some of the GOP legislators who had spent the months before Columbine trying to make it easier for more people to carry guns in more places turned their rhetoric to keeping guns out of the wrong hands. So it seemed a little blustery when progun lobbyists said they weren't worried, that Owens' plan was headed for defeat. But they were right. Owens' fellow Republicans defeated three of the five gun-control measures Owens proposed in response to Columbine - requiring "safe storage" of guns, raising the age from 18 to 21 for buying a handgun at a gun show, and background checks at gun shows. Criminal background checks are done on all gun purchases at stores. But at gun shows, many of the sales are considered "private sales" and aren't subject to the check. Gun-control advocates say that's a loophole that makes it easier for criminals to get guns. Gun-rights supporters say the government shouldn't regulate private sales. Owens did sway enough members of his party to re-authorize the state's instant criminal background check program. Owens said the measure, inspired by the killing of three little girls by their father, whose gun purchase would have been blocked by the state background check, was the most important gun bill of the year. Not only did the gun lobby succeed in beating back most of the gun-control bills, it also succeeded in passing several progun bills. The Republican majority gave the NRA one of its top priorities - special protection from negligence lawsuits for the gun industry. Legislators also approved a bill protecting people who want to drive across the state with gunsin their cars and keeping secret the names of people who get government permission to carry concealed handguns. "We passed more bills to protect gun owners than we did to protect people from guns," complained Sen. Doug Linkhart, a Denver Democrat who supports gun control. The reason Columbine hasn't changed attitudes, said Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli, is that there hasn't been an election since the shootings. "After the 1998 election, the state was moving in the direction of protecting gun rights. That was stopped in its tracks last year," after Columbine, Ciruli said. "It was too difficult to do what amounts to a 180-degree turn." So the next election could be a chance for Colorado to show what it does think about gun rules. Democrats are hoping to use the issue to show that the Republican party is out of touch on the gun question and too cozy with the NRA. "The people who are in favor of gun control need to take a few scalps, and people will notice," said House Minority Leader Ken Gordon, D-Denver. "The NRA has taken a few scalps in the past." Colorado's GOP chairman, Bob Beauprez, said Democrats are making a mistake by focusing on guns. He pointed to President Clinton's Denver visit in support of SAFE's initiative as an example of politicizing the Columbine tragedy. "It appears it's become almost the only Democratic issue," Beauprez said. "Our information does not suggest this is the top issue on people's minds." SAFE's gun-show measure, which enjoys support of more than 80 percent in polls, will likely raise the profile of the gun issue, which was not widely discussed in 1998. Ballot issues also tend to affect legislative races, as voters compare their positions to that of candidates. The results of the legislative races and SAFE's initiative will likely affect next year's session, as the full range of gun bills are expected to be introduced again - from making it easier to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun to criminal penalties for people who don't store their guns safely. It may not be known until then how Columbine has changed the gun debate in Colorado. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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