Sentinel NORTHGLENN 3.7.13
Northglenn -Thornton
March 7, 2013
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Adams County, Colorado • Volume 49, Issue 30
Marijuana task force wraps up work Group’s recommendations will be sent to Legislature By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com The Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force’s final meeting focused on taxation to develop recommended tax levels for commercial marijuana sales. The recommendations made on Feb. 28 suggest a 15 percent excise tax that stores would pay at the wholesale level. It was also recommended that a special sales tax be implemented for recreational marijuana,
with an example of a 25 percent sales tax customers would pay when making purchases. Any special voter-approved taxes would be in addition to the state’s 2.9 percent sales tax as well as any local sales taxes. The task force discussed the issue and generally agreed that, if the state-imposed taxes were too high, users would turn to the black market for marijuana. One member suggested that keeping the total cost, including taxes, of legal recreational marijuana less than the black market cost could bring an end to illegal pot sales. However, members repeatedly noted that because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, no tax could be imposed without voter ap-
proval. As they wrapped up their discussions, it was noted that recommendations will be assembled into a report that, in the next two weeks, will be forwarded to the General Assembly to use in establishing rules and regulations for the new recreational marijuana industry. Colorado voters created a whole new industry in November by approving Amendment 64, which legalizes recreational use of marijuana by those 21 and older. When Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the voter-approved amendment into law, he created the 24-member task force to establish recommendations for regulating the new industry as guidelines for state legisla-
tive action. The governor spoke at the Feb. 28 task force meeting. He thanked the members for the thousands of hours they put into developing their recommendations. “We are entering a new and different world,” Hickenlooper said. “No matter how thoughtful we are, not every area will be adequately addressed. I think there will be unanticipated negative consequences.” He stressed the need for education and safeguards to keep marijuana out of the hands of those under 21. “We need to let our children and young people know that, just because it is now legal doesn’t mean it is safe,” the governor said.
Gun-control measures advance amid uproar Two sides stake out positions in lengthy hearing By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Seven Democratic-sponsored gun control bills passed state legislative committees on March 4, following a remarkable day where swarms of people filled the Capitol to make their voices heard on the most polarizing political issue of the session. The seven bills passed two Democraticcontrolled Senate committees on party-line votes, following lengthy hearings that often became emotional — and sometimes got a little rowdy. The first bill hearing began just after 10:30 a.m., with passage of the seventh and final bill of the day taking place about 12 hours later. There was plenReport ty of buzz in and around the Capitol throughout much of the day — including honking vehicles that drove around the Capitol in circles all day long, in what was a grating display of displeasure from some opposed to the gun-control measures. Those in favor of the bills also made their opinions known before the hearings started. A press conference was held by gun violence victims and family members whose lives have been affected by mass shootings, all of whom called for tighter gun laws. One of them was Mark Kelly, the space shuttle commander and husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona. On Jan. 8, 2011, Giffords was seriously injured in a shooting rampage while she was hosting a constituent event outside a grocery store near Tucson. The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, used a Glock 18 semiautomatic handgun to fire more than 30 rounds in a matter of seconds into the crowd, killing six people and injuring many. Loughner ended up pleading guilty to several federal charges and is now serving life in prison. After the press event, Kelly testified in support of House Bill 1229, which requires universal background checks for gun sales
Capitol
POSTAL ADDRESS
Mark Kelly speaks to reporters during a state Capitol press conference that preceded testimony on several gun control measures. Kelly’s wife is former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot during a political event in Tucson, Ariz. Following his remarks, the retired astronaut and Navy captain testified before the Senate’s State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, in support of a bill that would require universal background checks on all gun sales and transfers. Photo by Vic Vela and transfers, telling members of the Senate’s State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee that the bill would help keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people like Loughner. “Behind every victim lies a matrix of failure and inadequacy,” Kelly said, referring to issues such as poverty and mental health. “The breadth and complexity of gun violence is great. But that is not an excuse for inaction.” But Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, did not take up Kelly’s call for action. “Public policy should not be based on emotion,” Harvey said. “Public policy should be based on logic. Even if this (law) was in place in Arizona, it would not have stopped the shooter from getting the gun.”
Horns honk for firearms
Disputes of the Kelly and Harvey kind were hardly unique on March 4. All day long, through several hours of testimony and hallway conversations, there were point-counterpoints being made on a day of frenzied activity at the Capitol. The two large committee rooms that held the hearings — including the Old Supreme Court Chambers — felt more like phone booths for much of the day, as concerned citizens and members of the press packed the standing-room only affairs. That’s not to mention the phenomenal lines that wrapped around the committee rooms, which were full of Coloradans — predominantly Second Amendment advocates — who showed up well in advance
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of the first hearing in hopes of having a chance to testify. Mark Dunham of Conifer — who was sporting camouflage gear and an “I Vote Pro-Gun” sticker on his chest — was sitting alone in a hallway, after having arrived at the Capitol about 9:30 a.m. It was 1 p.m. in the afternoon when he spoke with a reporter, and he was still waiting for his name to be called. “This is nothing,” he said. “These are just the people who could make it today. There’s a lot more of us, and I plan to stay in here the whole day, until it concludes.” Meanwhile, there was wild theater going on outside the Capitol. Vehicles made
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Guns continues on Page 17
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