Gun control bills advance in Colorado Senate despite protests

A package of gun control bills advanced in the Colorado Senate Monday despite the presence of a large number of gun rights supporters in and around the Capitol, Fox News reported.

All of the measures passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a largely party-line vote, Twitchy said.

One of the bills heading to the Senate is an “assault weapons liability” bill that would make “assault weapons” manufacturers and retailers responsible for crimes committed with weapons they make or sell.

Other bills include a high-capacity magazine ban, a bill that would force gun purchasers to pay for background check fees, gun restrictions for domestic violence offenders and universal background checks.

"Colorado is the same state where lawmakers have proposed using ballpoint pens, rape whistles and safe zones as an alternative to people defending themselves with a gun. Additionally, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs advised women to urinate and vomit on an attacker," Jason Howerton wrote at The Blaze.

In one hearing, rape survivor Amanda Collins recalled her attack and said that it could have been prevented had she been allowed to carry a gun on college.

But Democratic state Sen. Evie Hudak shot her argument down, claiming statistics were not on her side.

“You said that you were a martial arts student, I mean person, experienced in tae-kwon-do, and yet because this individual was so large, was able to overcome you even with your skills, and chances are that if you had had a gun, then he would have been able to get that from you and possibly use it against you," Hudak said.

Fox said that about 20 Colorado sheriffs stood in opposition to two of the measures -- the expanded background checks and the bill limiting magazine capacity -- calling them unenforceable.

Speaking out against the bill to limit magazine sizes, Pueblo Sheriff Kirk Taylor said it "just doesn't make any sense from our perspective."

Nevertheless, all of the bills passed through the committee and are scheduled to be debated on the Senate floor on Friday. According to Fox, some of the measures have a strong chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate.

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