The Colorado State Shooting Association has reached out to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi with a formal request for the Department of Justice to investigate the state’s gun laws.
This appeal raises concerns that a recently enacted law by Democrat Governor Jared Polis may violate the Second Amendment rights of citizens. It also highlights that 37 counties in Colorado have declared themselves “Second Amendment Sanctuaries,” signaling their resistance to state measures perceived as infringing upon their rights.
The letter urges the newly established Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force (SAEF) to look into these issues.
AG Bondi announced the formation of SAEF with a mission to “safeguard gun owners from governmental overreach.”
The letter states:
Dear Attorney General Bondi,
We, the undersigned members of the Colorado State Shooting Association, the Colorado Republican Congressional Delegation, the Colorado State Senate Republican Caucus, the Colorado State House Republican Caucus, a coalition of pro-Second Amendment sheriffs, and leaders within Colorado’s pro-Second Amendment movement, urgently call upon you to instruct the Department of Justice’s Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force to investigate and take action to uphold the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in Colorado.
In recent years, Colorado and some of its major cities have enacted a series of increasingly restrictive statutes and ordinances, engaging in a systematic effort to limit, obstruct, and ultimately undermine the right of Coloradans to keep and bear arms, in direct violation of our Constitution.
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SB25-003, recently signed by Governor Jared Polis, is particularly concerning as it imposes restrictions that directly conflict with the fundamental right to bear arms, as established by the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). This law disregards the historical context of firearm ownership in America, places undue burdens on law-abiding gun owners, hampers self-defense rights, and limits access to commonly used firearms. It fails to align with the constitutional standards set forth by the Supreme Court in these landmark cases.
As representatives, state senators, state representatives, sheriffs, and advocates for Colorado’s Second Amendment community, we witness the detrimental consequences of these laws daily. Despite the Supreme Court’s clear indication that the Second Amendment should not be treated as a “second-class right,” this is precisely the situation in Colorado. While these legislative measures contribute little to actual public safety, they instead foster confusion and instill fear of prosecution among law-abiding citizens. In response, a growing number of counties—at least 37—have declared themselves “Second Amendment Sanctuaries,” a testament to the widespread frustration and resolve within our communities.
Huey Laugesen, executive director of the Colorado State Shooting Association, informed FOX31’s Nate Belt that the association has collected a significant number of voter signatures alongside the letter, claiming they had amassed “tens of thousands” as of Monday.
“When government imposes insurmountable barriers, particularly affecting low-income individuals who are disproportionately vulnerable to violent crime, it creates a serious issue. This is a clear case of overreach,” Laugesen remarked to Belt.
“We refuse to accept this because the path we’re on is fraught with danger.”
