"We're trying on another front," notes Richard Westfall, the attorney behind the latest lawsuit, filed in Boulder County District Court, "and hopefully, one of us will be successful. We support their effort, but we focus on the state preemption issue."
Westfall adds the following explanation: "The Colorado General Assembly identifies firearms issues as matters of statewide concern. So when there were questions about local jurisdictions having conflicting gun laws, they weighed in and created a very comprehensive preemption statute that basically bans local jurisdictions from engaging in this kind of piecemeal regulation of firearms."
The Colorado Criminal Code "permits ownership of 'assault weapons,'" the document points out. "Colorado state law merely prohibits 'dangerous weapons' (including firearm silencers, machine guns, short shotguns, short rifles and ballistic knives) and 'illegal weapons' (including blackjacks, gas guns, and metallic knuckles)."
Anthony Fabian heads the Colorado State Shooting Association.
