Gun Proponents Use CBS4 Investigation While Trying To Repeal Ammo Limits
DENVER (CBS4) - Gun proponents are attempting to repeal Colorado's 15-round ammunition limit and they're pointing to a CBS4 investigation to prove a point.
The repeal of the high-capacity magazine ban passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee 3-2 on party lines. During the hearing, Republican Sen. John Cooke from Weld County showed committee members illegal gun magazines purchased during a CBS4 undercover investigation to demonstrate how people were skirting the law.
The illegal magazines were surrendered to Cooke last November when he was the Weld County sheriff.
"When you take away people's rights and you pass bad laws, people are going to find a work around," said Cooke, who calls the 2013 high-capacity magazine ban unenforceable.
RELATED: Many Circumventing Colorado High-Capacity Magazine Ban
The CBS4 investigation showed a retail clerk selling a 30-round magazine kit, which came in parts, and could be assembled in seconds. The investigation also showed a gun shop and gun show vendor making minor modifications to comply with the letter of the law that could be easily removed and retrofitted into an illegal magazine.
CBS4 also found high-capacity magazines in bordering states like Wyoming flying off the shelves.
CBS4: Do you have a lot of folks from Colorado coming up here?
Wyoming Gun Store Clerk: Oh yeah we do. Can't keep stuff in stock thanks to them.
Cooke said, "The work-arounds are turning law-biding citizens into criminals."
But Democratic Sen. Lucia Guzman says the high-capacity magazine ban is an important law and points her finger at law enforcement for turning their heads.
"It is very disturbing that the law is not being enforced in every way possible," she said.
Lonnie and Sandy Phillips call the repeal effort "disgusting" and "absolute insanity." They traveled from Texas to testify at Monday's hearing after their daughter Jessica Redfield Ghawi was killed in the Aurora theater shooting.
"We had really excellent laws put on the books after the Aurora massacre," said Sandy Phillips, who plans to move to Denver to attend the upcoming trial. "Trying to repeal the laws that could save human life, it's very disgusting."
The repeal is expected to pass the Senate but is unlikely to pass the House, which is controlled by Democrats who have already rejected a repeal attempt this year.
Mark Ackerman is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. Follow him on Twitter @ackermanmark
