On Monday, Colorado outlawed 15-round clips. This past weekend, the Colorado Freedom Shoot was the last opportunity for people to legally shoot high-capacity clips.
On Saturday at the Pawnee Sportsmen’s Center, Ray Sanchez gave pointers on long-range shooting as part of the Colorado Freedom Shoot, sponsored by the range. It was a sort of protest against a law that took effect on Monday that does not allow high-capacity magazines in Colorado.
The law has already created problems and cost the state millions upon millions of dollars.
“It’s already cost the state $100 million in revenue, and it’s going to cost more,” Sanchez said. “Companies have already left—big companies—and more companies are talking about leaving if it doesn’t get overturned. So if that’s what they want—turning into California, into a welfare state—we’ll see what happens when the free-minded, business owners and entrepreneurial types leave.”
Sanchez, who works for Thunder Beast Arms Corp., a manufacturer of sound suppressors for tactical, sporting, and competition use, sees this law as an attack not just on state businesses but on his right to bear arms.
“There’s already laws against killing people. There’s already laws against shooting people. But people go and do it anyway,” he said. “So if someone is willing to go and do something like that, what’s it take to bring in a magazine from another state that is more than 15 rounds, or whatever arbitrary number they picked?”
Eric Brown, spokesman for Governor John Hickenlooper, said that the state is taking a “measured approach” to law reform in the hopes of preventing gun violence. Included in these changes is not just the limitation on ammunition but an investment in better mental health services
“Some may see that as the wrong thing to do politically,” Brown said. “We saw it as the right thing to do.”
There is a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled on July 10 for the part of the law related to gun ammunition. Sanchez and many others who attended the Freedom Shoot hope that the law will be overturned.
“People don’t want to hear it, but not everyone isn’t nice and there are problems in the world,” he said. “The best way to stop incoming fire is accurate outgoing fire. It’s that simple. Taking guns away from law-abiding citizens isn’t going to change anything.”
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Photo: Colorado Freedom Shoot/Facebook