I didn't realize that Colorado had passed a law requiring back ground checks for gun buyers at gun shows. Personally, I don't have a problem with such laws. I can't imagine any scenario where I would need a gun so quickly that I couldn't wait the 40 minutes to have the background check done (30 minutes to fill out the paperwork, ten minutes to do the check). Private gun sellers annoyed by strict new Colorado gun law Catherine Tsai Associated Press April 02, 2001 07:35:00 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Gun buyers and merchants alike are grumbling about a new state law requiring private sellers to conduct criminal background checks before they sell weapons at gun shows. "I think it's totally against the Constitution," private seller Don McLemore said as the law took effect Saturday during Southern Colorado Sportsman and Arms Expo. "If I sell one or two guns ... it'll be outstanding." In November, 70 percent of Colorado voters approved the measure to close the so-called gun show loophole by requiring background checks of prospective buyers in sales by unlicensed vendors. Only licensed sellers previously had to do the checks. Gun-rights advocates have been dreading the change, which they say is an erosion of gun-ownership rights. But supporters say the law will help squelch the sale of guns to people with felony convictions. It took 2 1/2 hours before the first customer of a private seller came to the front of the Arms Expo for his background check. Lewis Bustos, of Denver, filled out the forms in 30 minutes. Ten minutes and a $10 fee later, he was cleared to buy a .22-caliber rifle. "The biggest thing is the paperwork," said Bustos, 40. "Before you could just barter, pay and you were out the door." The Colorado Bureau of Investigations spent $500,000 on staff, telephone lines and computer terminals to handle an expected crush of requests for background checks. "We're beefing up to handle double what we're accustomed to," agent Susan Kitchen said. The CBI said one of the background checks led to the arrest of a woman on a misdemeanor traffic violation warrant. "I'm sure there are people who feel like their freedom is being infringed upon," gun seller Jim Washington said. "But if you're honest, it's not going to bother you one bit." ------------------ Houston Sports Board
