Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who recently signed a package of gun-control measures into law, said a recent impromptu meeting with a group of gun-rights protesters led to a bit of accord in spirit, if not the law.
When speaking in Grand Junction, he said, he was greeted by about 200-odd protesters upset about recently signed measures on universal background checks and high-capacity magazines.
The bills, which take effect July 1, would mandate universal background checks for all firearms sales and transfers, require gun buyers to pay for their checks, and ban the sale and transfer of ammunition magazines containing more than 15 rounds.
“You know, I went and talked to them,” Mr. Hickenlooper said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It’s a tough sell — they’re very worried about government keeping a centralized database, which I assured them wasn’t going to happen, that this was just the first step in trying to take guns away.”
He said he met with the leaders of the protest and tried to hear them out, which resulted in a “blunt, honest dialogue.”
“But in the end, you know, they asked, could they pray for me?” he said. “And so they put their hands [together] and we all prayed. I mean, they deeply believe that their guns and the Second Amendment are critical parts of American life and their integrity and honesty and their conviction. You know, you can’t challenge that. In the end, when they’re praying that I’m protected, that my leadership, you know, that I’m lifted up and supported — you know, I recognize we’re not so different, right? We just [have] to make sure we get to the same facts.”
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• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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