DougCo Commissioners Pass Resolution Defying 'Red Flag Bill'
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) - Douglas County Commissioners have passed a resolution that opposes a state gun bill championed by their sheriff. The so-called Red Flag bill would allow confiscation of guns, under certain conditions, from those mentally disturbed presenting a danger.
Testifying before the three commissioners, Sheriff Tony Spurlock said legislation is needed to prevent people, deemed by a judge, "to be a danger to themselves or others to have access to firearms."
"We should never ever put mental health and evil in the same sentence," he said.
It was more than a year ago when one of his deputies was killed trying to take in a heavily-armed man who had be known to have mental issues.
Since then Spurlock has championed the "Red Flag Bill" now before the Colorado state legislature.
"Two groups don't get to carry guns: those who are felons, and those who are mentally ill that they are a danger to themselves or others," Spurlock said before a large gathering at the meeting.
One by one, people took to the microphone to either support the sheriff or argue against his point of view.
"Apparently Sheriff Spurlock has not read the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment to the Constitution (of the United States)," one man among the many supporting the resolution said.
Another opposed it by urging the commissioners to stand behind the judgement of their sheriff.
"I have never had an interaction with a law enforcement officer where I told them how to do their job that ended well, so i ask you to do the same," he said.
But the commissioners were not swayed. Their vote was unanimous not to fund anything deemed to be unconstitutional especially violations of the right to bear arms.
Commissioner Lori Thomas addressed the room just before the vote, "We are not going to do a knee jerk resolution or something that's going to grab guns that is not going to solve the problem."
The commissioners took great pains to say they are not declaring their jurisdiction a "Second Amendment Sanctuary County" as other Colorado counties have done in opposition to the red flag bill.
