Colorado
Colorado bill restricting sale of certain semiautomatic guns clears first House committee after notable tweaks
A bill that would ban the manufacture and restrict the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms in Colorado cleared its first committee Tuesday in the state House after being tweaked.
Senate Bill 3 was amended to ease the vetting process for buyers seeking to purchase semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and pistols that can accept detachable ammunition magazines that would otherwise be outlawed by the measure.
County sheriffs would still be responsible for the vetting, but buyers would no longer have to get fingerprinted as part of an additional background check that would be required to purchase a weapon targeted by the measure. Instead, they would have to fill out an application, provide a photo ID and submit the results of a name-based state and national background check.
Another change would give sheriffs broad power under Senate Bill 3 to deny an application if they have a “reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant makes it likely the applicant will present a danger to themself or others.” A sheriff’s office could also revoke purchasing permissions under the same standard.
Would-be buyers, should they pass the vetting, would then have to go through four or 12 hours of training, depending on whether they already have a hunter safety certification, and pass a test to get a five-year pass to purchase a banned firearm. They would have to renew their training after five years if they wanted to buy more banned weapons.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife would come up with the application, set the course requirements and determine the applicant fees for the process.
Senate Bill 3 was approved by a party-line vote of 7-4 by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday after 12-plus hours of testimony. It next heads to the House Finance Committee before reaching the House floor, where Republicans are likely to battle against the legislation for hours — if not days.
The Democratic sponsors of the legislation originally planned Tuesday to move the vetting process under the umbrella of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, but they opted against that change when the state’s sheriff’s association said they wouldn’t drop their opposition to the legislation even if that change happened.
“(Sheriffs) currently do a process that is very similar in relation to concealed carry,” said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat and lead sponsor of Senate Bill 3. “And so we do feel like they actually have the expertise and experience necessary to do this.”
Republicans on the Judiciary Committee complained that sheriffs would be burdened by the vetting.
“These small departments barely have enough budget to hire officers to do everyday patrol work,” said Rep. Ty Winter, R-Trinidad.
The measure would let sheriffs impose fees for the vetting to cover their costs.
The statehouse GOP is uniformly opposed to Senate Bill 3, but Republican state lawmakers can only delay passage of the legislation in the Democratic-controlled Capitol. They are mostly powerless to stop the measure, which is on track to reach the governor’s desk.
The measure was significantly watered down last month in the Senate from its introduced version. At first, the bill would have banned outright the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and some pistols that can accept detachable ammunition magazines.
The paring back of the bill was done to appease Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat who has signaled he will now sign the measure.
Senate Bill 3, even in its weaker form, would still represent one of the biggest changes to Colorado gun policy in state history. It would affect AR-15 and AK-47 rifles, as well as their long list of popular variants. It would also affect tactical shotguns and a small portion of handguns.
The bill, which would go into effect in September, wouldn’t affect possession of the targeted weapons.
Dog survives 43 days in Colorado mountains and reunites with owner
After 43 days lost in the Colorado mountains, a Ring camera helps volunteers find and reunite 10-year-old dog, Rocky, with his owners.
A dog named Rocky was rescued and reunited with his owner after surviving 43 days alone in Summit County, Colorado.
Rocky, age 10, had gone missing in late December after escaping from a pet sitter while his owner was traveling.
According to local media, volunteers from Summit Lost Pet Rescue and members of the local community helped search for the dog for weeks, eventually locating and capturing him using a tip from a homeowner who spotted the dog on her Ring camera and a trap set with the owner’s scent.
According to Summit Daily, Rocky had gone from 50 pounds to 28 pounds during the time he was lost.
Video posted by Summit Lost Pet Rescue shows the heartwarming moment Rocky is reunited with his owner, Steven Maa.
“It takes partnership, a village, and donations to save lost pets,” the organization wrote on social media.
Colorado
Greer, Wooten combine for 20, Colorado women advance in Big 12 Tournament with 55-48 win over Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Logyn Greer and Desiree Wooten both scored 10 points in No. 6 seed Colorado’s 55-48 win over No. 11 seed Kansas on Thursday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
Greer shot 4 for 7 from the field and drained both her attempts from 3-point range from the Buffaloes (21-10). She had six rebounds and four blocks. Wooten added four assists.
Colorado was in foul trouble early, racking up seven fouls in the first quarter. A 9-0 run in the second quarter broke the game open for the Buffaloes and they entered halftime up 26-18. Their defense held Kansas to 36% (19 of 53) from the field and 15% (2 of 13) from 3-point range.
Kansas (19-13) was led in scoring by S’Mya Nichols, who put up 14. Her and Sania Copeland scored the only 3-pointers for the Jayhawks.
Colorado: Will play No. 3 seed Baylor on Friday. The Lady Bears are ranked No. 20 in the country.
Kansas: Will wait for an invitation into a postseason tournament.
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The trade deadline is less than 24 hours away and the Avalanche have already made the three moves that had been clear-cuts needs for the team.
They needed to improve their third pair. They did that by swapping Samuel Girard for Brett Kulak.
They needed to replace the recently departed Ilya Solovyov with a more capable No. 7 option on the blueline. That was accomplished with Wednesday’s trade for Nick Blankenburg.
Most importantly, the Avs needed a third-line center. On Thursday, they paid a hefty price to acquire Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
These are all things that had to be done. Now? They have nearly $7 million in available cap space (with Logan O’Connor on LTIR), with an opportunity to improve on the roster they have. This is the part of the trade deadline where general manager Chris MacFarland can bolster the team, find those luxury additions, and maximize his team’s chances and winning a Stanley Cup.
So what could that look like?
Most of the season has seen Ross Colton, Victor Olofsson, and even Gavin Brindley occupy the wings on the third line. With Roy expected to settle into that 3C role, there’s an opportunity to build on the wing. Elliotte Friedman mentioned last week that the Avs could move on from Colton. If so, that would give them a lot more cap space and a valuable asset they can use on the trade market to bring in a solid middle-six winger. Perhaps someone like Blake Coleman.
Olofsson has chemistry with Roy dating back to last season with Vegas, but you have to wonder if they’d be looking to upgrade on his position, too.
That leaves Jack Drury on the fourth line, centering Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta. Brindley slots down to the No. 13 forward (when everyone is healthy), while Zakhar Bardakov is the 14th option.
If O’Connor returns before the postseason, he instantly rejoins the fourth line. That would push Kiviranta out, and he’d be the 13th forward just like he was last year. Even in that scenario, I do wonder if the Avs decide to improve on Bardakov. He’s a young centerman who has impressed in limited minutes but has struggled to gain the full trust of the coaching staff.
There’s also the option to add another depth defenseman. Right now, an injury to Kulak or Devon Toews would again force Colorado to have five right-shot defensemen in the lineup. Blankenburg, who also shoots right, would be an ideal fill-in if an injury were to strike on the right side.
But what about another depth option? Colorado won the Cup in 2022 with both Ryan Murray and Jack Johnson on the outside looking in. After Girard’s injury, Johnson stepped in. But it didnd’t hurt to have multiple depth options just in case.
Could the Avs target another depth blueliner? If so, will they go for a bigger body? I’ve seen the name Urho Vaakanainen floated around. He would be the type of left-shot defenseman who could fill that role as an extra. Albeit his $1.55 million cap hit might be too large to take on without retention for such a limited role.
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