VOLUME 24 | ISSUE 7
WEEK OF APRIL 17, 2025
FREE
Douglas County fought new gun bill and lost Polis signed measure into law two days after commissioners’ resolution BY JULIA KING SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
A child learns through play at one of the Douglas County Libraries’ playscapes. Playscapes inspire children to foster a love of reading, connection COURTESY OF HUTCH TIBBETTS / DOUGLAS COUNTY LIBRARIES and discovery.
Libraries’ interactive spaces reinvent play BY JULIA KING SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
In the corners of libraries across the county, kids are preoccupied with some imaginary business at hand. Douglas County Libraries has continued upgrades to its interactive playscapes, which are the library’s immersive learning experiences designed to build early life skills. The latest updates include Lone Tree, where the Little Savers Bank and Mar-
ket is complete with safe deposit boxes, a teller window and a play vault; and the Highlands Ranch library, where visitors at the Healthy Critters Vet Clinic can don lab coats and stethoscopes, perform examinations using play instruments, or diagnose plushie “patients” at an X-ray station. The playscape concept was established years ago as an effort to broaden early literacy building blocks, which include play, said Amber DeBerry, director of community engagement for Douglas
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County Libraries. Designed for children aged 2 to 8, the first playscape was installed in Highlands Ranch and since then, many have been added or changed over the years. DeBerry noted that the newer playscapes are bigger, with evolving themes. “Each playscape is inspired by the Douglas County Libraries’ vision to inspire a love of reading, connection and discovery,” DeBerry said. SEE PLAYSCAPES, P10
The Douglas County commissioners on April 8 unanimously passed a resolution urging Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to veto a state Senate bill that would require Coloradans to obtain a permit and complete safety training before purchasing certain semiautomatic firearms. Despite objections like the ones from Douglas County, Polis signed the bill, Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices, on April 10. Commissioners argued that the bill violates the Second Amendment — as well as the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments — by depriving gun owners of the ability to sell and transfer their property. The bill “unfairly and without cause targets an industry of American firearm manufacturers and a community of lawful Colorado gun owners and enthusiasts with burdensome regulations and costs,” the commissioners wrote in the resolution. Originally written as a broad ban on the sale of semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines, the legislation was amended in the Senate to allow purchases if buyers meet certain requirements. That compromise, crafted with input from Polis, cleared the Colorado General Assembly on March 28 in a 19-15 Senate vote. The measure outlines a vetting process similar to what’s required for a concealed carry permit. Residents will need to pass a fingerprint-based criminal history check administered by county sheriffs; complete four or 12 hours of safety courses, depending on whether they already hold a hunter safety certification; and pass a test on the material taught in those courses. The resulting permit would be valid for five years. In their resolution, the Douglas County commissioners called the legislation both unconstitutional and costly. They warned it would impose millions in recurring administrative and enforcement expenses on local governments — already under strain due to the state’s $1.3 bilSEE GUN LAW, P9
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