A bill that would have banned the sale of assault weapons in the state of Colorado was voted down early Thursday, which also marked the 24th anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School that left 12 students and a teacher dead.
House Bill 1230 was blocked by three Colorado House Democrats and two Republicans following a dramatic 14-hour hearing that featured testimony from hundreds of people.
The rejection came even after attempts by the bill's sponsor, Rep. Elisabeth Epps, to scale back the ban to just certain equipment used for weapons, such as bump stocks and rapid-fire trigger activators, which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire like machine guns.
Supporters urged lawmakers to pass the legislation, saying assault weapons aren't designed for self-defense but for taking lives.
"At least with handguns, there's an entry wound and an exit wound and the body is generally intact other than those small wounds," Denver District Attorney Beth McCann testified, per Colorado Politics. "If a person is killed by an assault weapon, the body is essentially blown apart."
Peter Gurfein, of Giffords Gun Owners for Safety, echoed that statement, saying "The damage done by high velocity shells by these firearms is horrific and disproportionately used in mass shootings." He added, "There is no evidence that owning an assault weapon makes people safer," Colorado Politics reported.
Opponents of the bill argued that banning assault weapons would not stop any shootings and would only trigger lawsuits from disarmed citizens who want to defend themselves. Several firearms dealers also testified that the bill would effectively put them out of business by taking guns away from law-abiding citizens.
"We must not compromise individual liberties under the guise of safety," Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly testified, per Colorado Politics.
Others, including Rep. Ryan Armagost, argued that lawmakers would be more effective if they focused on other issues surrounding mass shootings rather than zeroing in on banning weapons for all.
"It's mental illness, it's mental illness, it's mental illness," Armagost said, per The Denver Post.
If the bill had passed, Colorado would have joined nine states including California, Maryland, Illinois and New York in banning the sale of assault weapons.
Related
Related
