The Colorado GOP is now pushing legislation that would allow not only guns in all schools, including kindergarten classes, but is looking to allow concealed weapons in all schools, from elementary through college. And to make certain they create even more dangerous situations, the Colorado GOP is pushing legislation that would remove state background check requirements.
Operating on the false premise that more guns mean less gun violence, Colorado Republicans have revived previous attempts to let anyone with a permit carry a gun or concealed weapon anywhere.
Marie Diamond at Think Progress reports:
Conservatives have twisted school massacres at Columbine and Virginia Tech to argue that there need to be more guns in schools to fight back against armed attacks. Last year more than a dozenstate legislatures took up bills that would allow guns on college campuses — and some even considered lifting their gun bans at K-12 public schools. Florida suspended discussion of their controversial bill after the emotional testimony of a father whose daughter was killed at Florida State University when another student accidentally discharged a rifle.
Gun control advocates say the presence of guns makes schools much more dangerous and creates a negative learning environment. The chances of tragic accidents and guns being stolen are also quite high in communal settings. Earlier this month a Texas middle school student was shot to death by police for carrying what turned out to be a pellet gun.
The Colorado legislature is also considering a proposal to eliminate background checks for firearm purchases — increasing the likelihood that guns will fall into the wrong hands. A recent New York Times investigation revealed that ex-convicts are finding it increasingly easy to get their guns back after being released from prison. Thanks to pro-gun lobbyists and Republican legislatures, even felons with histories of stalking and mental health problems have their gun rights restored without any review by judges — a trend that jeopardizes public safety and has already cost lives.
Almost 10,000 people are killed by someone with a gun every year in America. Given the loosening of gun laws by the GOP, these numbers will escalate.
Oh, and a word to journalists: Can we please stop calling it “gun rights”? Guns don’t have rights, people do. Let’s just be honest and call it “attempts to expand deadly weapons usage.”