U.S. House concealed-carry bill undermines existing laws in states across nation, including in Colorado.
Carrying a loaded gun is a huge responsibility. Let’s hope that lesson sank in for state Rep. Lori Saine, who spent a night in jail after officials said she attempted to carry a loaded handgun through security at Denver International Airport.
Many people lose items to the Transportation Security Administration because of absentmindedness — pocketknives in a backpack, mace on a keychain, or even nail clippers in a cosmetic bag.
But to forget the location of a loaded gun — or worse, to intentionally attempt to bring it into the secure area of an airport — is inexcusable.
Saine’s run-in with law enforcement is exactly the type of behavior states across the nation have tried to curb by requiring that those hoping to carry a concealed gun in public undergo some sort of vetting and permitting process. The Weld County Republican has a Colorado concealed-carry permit, but must not have been paying attention during her classes.
In Colorado, the permitting process is run by each county’s sheriff’s department.
However, Republican members of the U.S. House approved a bill on Wednesday that undermines concealed-carry laws like Colorado’s across the nation. We’re disappointed that Colorado’s Reps. Ken Buck, Mike Coffman, Scott Tipton and Doug Lamborn cosponsored the measure.
House Resolution 38, which would require states to honor the concealed-carry permits issued by other states, is headed to the Senate.
Such a measure sounds good in theory, but it opens up a race to the bottom, where if a state issues a permit to anyone who fills out a form online, they would be able to carry in a state like Colorado, where in-person training courses are required.
Colorado already has reciprocity with 33 other states, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. That means Colorado recognizes the permits issued in those states, and Colorado permits are recognized as legal in those states.
But Colorado has standards. There’s no agreement with Vermont, where no permit is required to carry a concealed gun.
Buck, Coffman, Tipton and Lamborn voted to undermine thoughtful rules and regulations put in place in Colorado, ignoring the good work already occurring to ensure gun owners can easily carry their guns across state lines without worry of inadvertently violating a state law.
Concealed carriers can be a complicated category of gun owner.
Cautious hunters transport their guns unloaded until they’re in the field.
Sport shooters can load their guns at the range.
It’s only reasonable that those wanting to carry a loaded gun in the general public for purposes of self-protection must comply with certain laws for the privilege.
Saine has shown she is too irresponsible for the privilege of carrying a loaded gun among the general public, a privilege she would lose under Colorado’s concealedcarry laws if she is charged and convicted of the felony offense of introducing a firearm into a transportation facility. Last year, while 90 firearms were seized at DIA, only three people were charged with the offense, according to Denver Post reporter Danika Worthington.
Colorado’s concealed-carry laws should stand without this federal interference, or else someone who takes the law even less seriously than Saine apparently could come to our state and do more than make a victimless mistake at the airport. The members of The Denver Post’s editorial board are William Dean Singleton, chairman; Mac Tully, CEO and publisher; Chuck Plunkett, editor of the editorial pages; Megan Schrader, editorial writer; and Cohen Peart, opinion editor.