In Denver, defending your own life could land you in jail
A proposed piece of legislation would ban gun owners from carrying concealed weapons in public places, including those who hold permits.
In its latest assault on the constitutional rights and the safety of its residents, Denver lawmakers are reviewing a new law that would make it illegal to carry a concealed firearm in public places — even if you are one of the 500,000 law-abiding concealed carry permit holders that live in the state. The proposed law aims to restrict concealed carry in public places, city buildings, and parks — and even extends to buildings owned by the city that have been leased out to third parties. A first-time offense would warrant a $50 fine and subsequent offenses could come with a penalty of up to $999 and 300 days in jail.
In an obvious last-ditch effort to save face in a city that is experiencing record rates of homicide and violent crime, Mayor Michael Hancock seems to think that the solution to the problem is to take away an individual’s right to self-defense in the face of physical harm. This, of course, comes at a time when Denver is already struggling with a shortage of police officers amidst a pervasive culture that vilifies law enforcement. As though it weren’t bad enough that Denver residents can’t expect to readily rely on the police to arrive in a timely manner in the event of a violent threat, Denver’s lawmakers also want to take away their right and ability to self-preservation.
During the period of public comment for the legislation, many expressed their concerns that such a law might conflict with the Second Amendment rights, protected and guaranteed by the Constitution. Assistant City Attorney Reggie Nubine, who is clearly not a constitutional expert by any stretch, responded by saying that the right to bear arms “is not unlimited.” Of course, even a cursory glance at the Second Amendment would make it clear as day, that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.”
In other words, the right to bear arms is very much unlimited.
The Second Amendment doesn’t grant us the privilege of bearing arms. Rather, it secures our natural, god-given right to bear arms. Indeed, the Second Amendment — and the entire constitution as a whole, for that matter — are not a set of rules for the people; they are a set of rules to keep the government in check. It was written specifically to defend the rights of Americans from people like Reggie Nubine and Michael Hancock. In case they have any doubts about this, they need only look at half of the country where constitutional carry laws have been implemented, which allow their residents to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. The Constitution, they argue, is their permit.
One other commenter, a Mr. Eric Jorgenson, spoke in support of the bill, remarking:
“There is a Second Amendment place for hunting and other gun sports in Colorado,” and continuing, “Having said that, I also believe that the city of Denver should take advantage of the change last year at the state level and update the code to restrict further the concealed carry of weapons at Denver properties.”
Mr. Jorgenson’s claim is a fallacious one, and it’s one that is pervasive everywhere in the gun debate, having even been repeated by President Joe Biden time and time again. The framers of our nation were clear and they did not stutter or waste words on this point. The Second Amendment is not for hunting and shooting sports. It’s for the self-preservation of the American people from enemies both foreign and domestic, and in particular, from a tyrannical government — the same kind that wants to strip Americans of their freedoms. The term ‘well-regulated militia’ that appears in the Second Amendment is not referring to the armed agents of the state, it is referring to you and me as Americans. We The People are the militia.
Other commenters raised the question of what problem this new law is even trying to fix, suggesting that is a solution to a problem that does not exist. And they are correct. Just as Denver’s so-called “assault weapons” ban, its high capacity magazine ban, and its “ghost gun” ban have done absolutely nothing to curb Denver’s unprecedented crime rate, a concealed carry ban would not only be utterly pointless, it would actually exacerbate the problem and make Denver residents less safe. In 2021, there were a reported 96 homicides in Denver. On average, that is nearly one murder every four days. Virtually zero of those murders, if any at all, were committed by law-abiding concealed carry permit holders.
Although it is worth noting that there was one incident in which a concealed carry permit holder drew his weapon and shot a man in the face during a public demonstration just in front of the Denver Art Museum in October 2020. His name was Matthew Dolloff, an unlicensed private security guard for the 9News channel which was covering the demonstrations. Dolloff, a 32-year-old with radical far-left beliefs, fatally shot 49-year-old Navy veteran Lee Keltner in the face in front of Keltner’s 25-year-old son after Keltner discharged a can of mace in Dolloff’s direction. Denver’s District Attorney’s office dropped all the charges against Dolloff earlier this year.
Given the conditions around Denver, which has become plagued by fentanyl overdoses and deaths, homeless populations sprawling entire city blocks in makeshift tent cities, and unchecked carjackings and burglaries, it makes no sense whatsoever why the City of Denver would even consider this law to be a good use of time and taxpayer dollars. All the while, there seems to be no plan in place to revise the failed policies in the city that actually have a hand in the violent crime surge in Denver — most notably the personal-recognizance bond policy, which allows criminals (oftentimes, repeat offenders) right back on the streets on virtually no bail at all. Murders have increased by 81% in Denver since 2019, 30% of which were committed by felons on parole.
But rather than addressing the glaringly obvious causes of the violent crime wave in Denver, Michael Hancock and his party would much rather turn the entire city of Denver into helpless victims with targets painted on their backs. Meanwhile, violent criminals — the same ones who would’ve never followed any of Denver’s gun laws to begin with — will be allowed to continue to terrorize Denver, and likely, with impunity and permission to remain on the streets of the city.