DENVER, March 19 (UPI) -- Two new gun laws signed by Colorado Gov. Bill Owens were drawing fire Wednesday from city officials who said they would dilute local government control of firearms.
Owens, a Republican, said the new statutes would establish uniform statewide standards for the issuance of concealed-weapons permits and better regulate the sale, possession and carrying of firearms.
They are the first Colorado gun laws enacted since the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in which students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 12 fellow students and a teacher and then took their own lives.
Tom Mauser, the father of slain Columbine student Daniel Mauser, told the Denver Post the new laws are a threat to public safety.
"It won't help the war on crime and gun violence," he said. "On the contrary, it will weaken gun laws and take away crime-fighting tools from our police. It will put more guns on our streets, which will lead to more violence and death."
Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and other representatives of local government also criticized the measures signed by Owens on Tuesday.
"I am disappointed the governor ignored police chiefs and others who understand that what works in rural Colorado doesn't cut it in urban centers," said Webb. "Denver and other cities have regulated firearms since the 19th century. This legislation marks a sea change in public policy in Colorado."
One new law wipes out local gun laws, giving local governments the discretion to post signs where guns cannot be carried. Owens said many states completely pre-empt local regulation while the new Colorado statutes permit a "partial exemption."
The second measure requires county officials to issue gun permits to citizens who are at least 21 years old and pass a criminal background check and handgun training course. It also bans concealed weapons in public elementary and secondary schools, which Owens had called for in the legislation.
The new laws drew praise from the National Rifle Association but a Colorado Municipal League official said the state's mayors were disappointed in the action.
"The only votes that really count now belong to the state Supreme Court justices because there will be litigation that will wind up over there," said Sam Mamet, the league's associate director.
