In the words of Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, the new laws are "feel-good, knee-jerk reactions

GOOD AFTERNOON TO EVERYONE!
The Colorado legislature recently passed a few new gun control measures, including expanded background checks for firearms transfers (at a cost of $10 to the gun owner) and a 15-round limit on magazine size. But even as the new laws await the signature of Democrat governor John Hickenlooper, a group of county sheriffs says they refuse to enforce them.

In the words of Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, the new laws are "feel-good, knee-jerk reactions that are unenforceable." Doubts have been raised that the sheriffs have the legal discretion make the new laws into dead letters by choosing not to enforce them, but the sheriffs have also considered a lawsuit to block implementation.

Can state and federal laws be ignored to death? Is this the right way for local elected officials to fight rear-guard actions against overbearing legislatures? And why are legislatures wasting their time on half-hearted measures that will inconvenience no criminal assailant? Obviously it's much easier to push the law-abiding citizen around, but what does that really accomplish, beyond making the bureaucracy and its fans feel better about themselves?

-- John Hayward
Senior Writer