I know it is a foregone conclusion that my home state, Colorado, is deep blue. Looking at the results of the 2024 general election, the results confirm this fact. However, I find it insulting that my fellow Coloradans have bought into the idea that it is okay to murder unborn children, and made a constitutional amendment. Also, the Denver/Boulder progressives pushed a significant Colorado win for the avowed Marxist Kamala Harris. We are supposed to be in the American West where we cherish freedom, unlike the coastal regions of the country.

Let’s see what else the progressives have done to our freedoms. There was a ballot initiative to tax all firearms and ammunition at a rate of about 6.5% (I don’t have the exact figure). This is in line with the progressives (read George Soros’ minions) to negate the Second Amendment. Fortunately, at this time 29 states are “Constitutional Carry” states. This means that adults who are not prohibited from owning guns can carry concealed handgun without a permit. All of these states have permits that they issue so that their citizens can carry when they are in states that have reciprocity with their home state. Of course, with the Soros super-majority and owning the governor’s mansion, we are a long way away from achieving Constitutional Carry in Colorado.

The Soros’ Legislature (not a ballot initiative) also placed a licensure requirement on all gun dealers. This is something the federal government already does but our friends in Denver have decided that another layer of bureaucracy was needed. The fee that gun dealers have to pay will go to a division of the Colorado State Patrol (presumably) that will go around and inspect each dealer and their premises. These inspectors carry a lot of weight in the reports they write. They can shut down a business with the stroke of a pen for the slightest infraction.

It’s so bad that the Soros Legislature took away our law enforcement’s qualified immunity, meaning, anything a cop does in the state puts him/her in danger of criminal and civil liability. This puts our first responders at great risk; but it also puts the average citizen at risk because it makes the officer stop and second-guess his/her actions when in a position that could put them at risk for charges or a law suit. I don’t know about you, but I want that officer to act immediately, on instinct. If I’m faced with a bad guy and a cop is there, I would much rather he pull his gun instead of me having to do it. After all, that’s what cops are paid for. That doesn’t mean I’m going to idly by when my family or I am in danger.

The bleed-over from Denver’s sanctuary city status is hurting all of Colorado. Right now, we are hearing primarily from Aurora, but how long will it be before the Venezuelan gangs migrate to other parts of the state? Just because we hear only about Aurora, do you believe that no more of these gangsters are coming in or that they will just stay in the Denver/Aurora area? We are hearing about them looking at Colorado Springs, if they are not already here. What about Durango or Grand Junction? What’s to stop them from going to the Western Slope?

Another area where Soros’ Legislature has put all Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) holders at risk is that they have taken away the “Preemption Law.” This was a law that said (in simplified form) that no municipality or county could pass a firearm law more stringent than what is in effect at the state level. That leaves us with a real patchwork of laws that CHP holders have to navigate when traveling through the state.

When I received orders to Colorado, my wife and I looked at Colorado Springs as a great place to call home, and we have done so for the last 35 years. But I look at what the progressives, mostly from California, have done to this beautiful place I just have to hang my head in disbelief. President Trump has just been re-elected and that gives some glimmer of hope; but until we get the avowed Marxist and his minions, out of the governor’s mansion and the legislature, it will be an all-uphill fight to keep our freedoms. With the massive influx of “Progressives,” not to mention the welcome mat for the illegal criminals, we all need to be involved in the political process.