Jefferson County TABOR Fight and Second Amendment Battles at the Colorado Capitol

On February 23, 2024, Nephi Cole, Allen Thomas, Jim May, and Natalie Menten joined the show. Discussed the assault weapons ban, unconstitutional firearm insurance mandates, and the hypocrisy of penalizing law-abiding gun owners while reducing penalties for firearm theft Argued that Colorado GOP leadership should maintain neutrality during primaries, citing bylaw changes that now allow party officials to oppose petition candidates and expressing concern about Chairman. Second Amendment Under Assault at the Colorado Capitol Start listening at 17:53 – Hour 1 Nephi Cole, Director of Government Affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, warns that Colorado gun owners face an unprecedented legislative assault. An assault weapons ban, a first-in-the-nation firearm insurance mandate, and bills targeting law-abiding citizens while reducing penalties for firearm theft are all advancing through the Democrat-controlled legislature. Cole explains the absurdity of the proposed insurance requirement: no such insurance product currently exists, and the concept resembles an unconstitutional poll tax on a fundamental right. The legislation would require firearm owners to maintain liability insurance, treating the Second Amendment differently than other constitutional rights. Even California rejected a similar proposal as unconstitutional. The hypocrisy extends further as Representative Elizabeth Epps, a sponsor of the assault weapons ban, voted against making firearm theft a felony regardless of the weapon’s value. The result: law-abiding citizens face felony charges for purchasing certain firearms while criminals who steal those same weapons receive only petty offense citations. “Literally, if you can pass that background check, Kim, you should be able to buy a suppressor or a short barrel rifle over the counter because the statistics show, the numbers show, you’re not going to commit a crime with that. It is people that illegally purchase and possess. You know, criminals are the ones that commit crimes with firearms.” Nephi Cole, Director of Government Affairs, National Shooting Sports Foundation Republican Party Neutrality in Primary Elections Start listening at 36:23 – Hour 1 Allen Thomas challenges the Colorado Republican Party’s decision to endorse Donald Trump prior to the primary election, arguing that the party should maintain neutrality regardless of the candidate’s popularity. He draws parallels to 2016 when Trump supporters would have objected if the state party had endorsed Ted Cruz before the assembly process concluded. Thomas reveals that party bylaws were modified to allow opposition to candidates who petition onto the ballot rather than going through the caucus and assembly process. While acknowledging that some petition candidates may be backed by outside interests hostile to conservative principles, he argues that using party resources to attack any Republican primary candidate undermines the democratic process voters expect. The discussion expands to include concerns about Chairman Dave Williams using his position to announce his own Congressional District 5 candidacy through party email lists, then allowing party resources to attack his opponent Jeff Crank. Thomas argues these actions create dangerous precedents that future party leadership could abuse against grassroots candidates. “If it’s not right to shut down a candidate, then it shouldn’t be right to shut down a candidate now. In four years, if this party leadership changes and there’s a MAGA Trump candidate and the state party says, well, he’s pro-Trump, so we don’t wa...