In the face of scathing, bipartisan criticism, the Colorado legislators who wanted to ban guns from a long list of "sensitive places" have reconsidered that constitutionally dubious plan. The original version of Senate Bill 24-131, introduced on February 7, would have made it a misdemeanor to carry firearms in more than two dozen types of public places, including parks, playgrounds, recreation facilities, zoos, museums, libraries, "public gathering[s]," medical facilities, banks, stadiums, amusement parks, bars, pot shops, college campuses, and houses of worship. The new version, unveiled this week, applies only to schools, polling places, and certain government buildings.
The amended bill also narrows the scope of the firearm restrictions by allowing carry permit holders to possess handguns in "parking areas" adjacent to "sensitive places." Under the previous version, guns would have been allowed in those parking lots only if they were "stored in locked containers in vehicles." That requirement would have had a far-reaching effect, banning guns from the parking areas of any mall or shopping center that happened to include a "sensitive place" such as a bar or a bank branch.
