Revising statements he made to Colorado Sheriffs opposed to gun control on June 13, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D) now says “he hasn’t changed his tune” and would sign the ban on “high capacity” magazines again if given the chance.
According to Denver’s Fox 31, after the June 13 meeting, Hickenlooper came under intense scrutiny when he “appeared to backpedal on the magazine ban, agreeing with one sheriff that it was unenforceable.” But on June 20–a week after he allegedly said these things to the sheriffs gathered before him–Hickenlooper said: “I didn’t say it’s unenforceable, I said it’s difficult to enforce.”
Sheriff’s argued that the magazine ban is unenforceable because it bans magazines that were purchased after the law’s implementation on July 1, 2013–magazines purchased prior to that date remain legal. But how can a law enforcement officer know when a given magazine was purchased if he or she comes across it during a traffic stop or via other contact with a gun owner?
Hickenlooper added: “A lot of laws are difficult to enforce; that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be there. If we went through the process again, I’d sign it again.”
During the June 13 meeting with the sheriffs Hickenlooper also said he did not talk to then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg while the gun control push was underway in early 2013. But Breitbart News reported he did in fact talk to Bloomberg during that time.
Hickenlooper now says he talked to Bloomberg but the former mayor “didn’t…have any influence on the decision [he] made about the [‘high capacity’ magazine] ban.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.