In a bid to bring down the crimes committed with guns, Colorado Democrats proposed an extensive gun-control bill package that suggests the makers be held liable for the damages caused by the firearms, but did not propose a ban on the assault weapons.
Amid the survivors and kith and kin of the victims of the shootings of Aurora Century theater, Sandy Hook Elementary School and Columbine High School, Democrats presented the gun-control measures package, terming it as "comprehensive," in the state Capitol.
The proposed bill stresses on the new requirements for mental health professionals to inform the authorities about patients who may pose a risk and to hold manufacturers and sellers accountable for the harm caused by assault-style guns, which excluded handguns, bolt-action rifles and shotguns.
"It will not ban them (assault weapons). It will just hold people strictly liable, strictly responsible for what occurs," said Democratic Senate President John Morse. "My hope is that it will finally bring an end to mass shootings and serve as a model of how other states might deal with gun violence."
According to The Denver Post, the bill would conflict with a 2005 federal law.
"The purpose of the (Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms) act is to prevent firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable for crimes committed with their products," David Kopel, law professor at Denver University, said. "However, both manufacturers and dealers can still be held liable for damages resulting from defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct and other actions for which they are directly responsible."
"Some weapons are designed with enough power to kill a lot of people quickly," said Morse, reacting to the arguments of the proposal conflicting with the law.. "And I believe that with great power comes great responsibility."
The bill also endorses a universal background check on all gun sales, which can be done without gun registration. State Senator Greg Brophy, a Republican, said universal background checks would be nearly impossible to put into effect without requiring every gun in the state to be registered.
The Denver Post reported that Dudley Brown, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun said his group would launch a grassroots lobbying effort in lawmakers' districts and that Democrats would rue having supported gun control measures
