As anti-gun Colorado lawmakers continue to politically turn the state into another California, another anti-gun measure has been thrown into the mix.
We’ve already discussed the sweeping ban on “assault weapons” and the Firearms Owner Identification (FOID) measures currently under consideration. Now, Democrats are advocating for an ammunition restriction that they claim will “fill in the gaps” and prevent ammo from getting into the ” wrong hands.”
On Friday, Colorado House Democrats approved a measure, HB25-1133, which would raise the minimum age for purchasing rifle and shotgun ammunition to 21 years and require that ammunition be stored behind the counter at retailers that sell it.
“Colorado Democrats have worked tirelessly to pass commonsense gun violence legislation to save lives, and we’re building on our work by filling gaps in our laws that allow ammunition to get into the wrong hands,” House Majority Leader Monica Duran said in a news release announcing passage of the measure. “While cold medicine is locked up behind a glass case, firearm ammunition is openly available in aisles for anyone to grab. By requiring ammunition to be securely stored and raising the age to purchase, this bill works to prevent senseless gun violence and theft to keep our communities safe.”
There are a couple of problems with the measure. For one thing, retailers aren’t oblivious. If having ammunition stolen from their stores were a significant issue, they’d be aware of it and would change how they store their ammunition for purely financial reasons. They don’t make a living by permitting theft of one of their products.
The other problem, of course, is the arguably unconstitutional nature of the proposal. The battle against young adults’ Second Amendment rights is extensive, with many states and even the federal government debating and enacting laws that restrict the right of 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds to keep and bear arms. For every other constitutionally protected right, Americans are nearly universally regarded as adults at 18 and afforded protection under the Constitution.
Of course, this assault on young adult gun owners has come under plenty of fire in the courtroom in the past few years, with the gun owners winning at least a few major victories. As recently as last month, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously to overturn a lower court decision, declaring the federal restriction on handgun purchase for young adults unconstitutional and remanding the case for further proceedings. Also in January, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals blocked enforcement of a Pennsylvania law that banned 18- to 20-year-olds from openly carrying firearms during a declared state of emergency.
Since the measure would obviously infringe on the rights of Colorado adults aged 18 to 20, the gun haters in the Colorado House had to include an exemption within the legislation.
“Notwithstanding the prohibition on selling ammunition to a person who is under twenty-one years of age described in subsection (1)(b) of this section, a retail ammunition vendor may sell ammunition during an in-person transaction to a member or veteran of the United States military or Colorado National guard who is eighteen years of age or older but under twenty-one years of age.
Prior to completing the sale of ammunition during an in-person transaction to a member or veteran of the United States military or Colorado National Guard who is under twenty-one years of age, the retail ammunition vendor, or an employee of the vendor, shall verify that the purchaser is a member or veteran by requiring the purchaser to produce a valid military identification card that demonstrates that the person is a member or veteran of the United States military or Colorado National Guard.”
Yes, anti-gunners in the legislature recognize that Americans become adults at age 18 and can serve in the military at that age, using firearms to protect their country. However, to them, 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds aren’t really considered “adult” enough to purchase ammunition—a right guaranteed to “the people” by the Second Amendment.
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