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The following article wasoriginally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.

The resolution to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution has been revived, just in time for voters to very likely choose if abortion should be legal in the state.

Last week, Ohio Republican lawmakers and Ohio Right to Life met with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and Ohio Business Roundtable about the proposal to raise constitutional amendment passage to 60%, but both business groups say they havent taken a position.

House Joint Resolution 1 is the revived resolution to make it harder to amend the Ohio constitution. Previously called H.J.R. 6 in previous General Assembly (the 134th, for those keeping count), it would require those petitions to receive a 60% supermajority vote to pass, instead of the simple 50% +1. This means that about 40% of the state would get to choose the law.

H.J.R. 1 is unnecessary, its undemocratic, its also unpopular, said Jen Miller with the League of Women Voters of Ohio on Monday.

More than 170 bipartisan groups joined together to fight it back in December.It failed swiftly, much to the dismay of state Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville). At that time, he vowed it would come back in the 135th G.A. Now, the resolution thatunited both sides of the aisle against it is back.

Even more individuals and groups are against the resolution this time around.

We have about 200 allies from all over Ohio, from unions to faith groups, good government organizations and others who oppose this attack on our right to amend the Constitution when lawmakers dont address our needs, Miller said.

A few groups are publicly supporting the resolution. One of them is Ohio Right to Life, an organization dedicated to ending abortion.

We need to prevent out-of-state interest groups, whether they be liberal interest groups or conservative interest groups, from coming into Ohio, said Mike Gonidakis, president of the group.

But some opponents of the resolution say its about one thing abortion.

Ohioans will likely vote on whether abortion should be legal this November.Activists are now gathering signaturesto get the measure on the ballot.

Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights quickly passed major hurdles of getting the language of their citizen-led constitutional amendment approved and getting it certified by the states ballot board.

Advocates must collect signatures from 44 out of 88 counties equal to at least 5% of the total vote cast for the office of governor in that county at the last gubernatorial election. Overall, the petition must gather at least 10% of the total vote cast statewide for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election.

Experts closely watching the legislature say lawmakers that support H.J.R. 1 are trying to streamline their resolution to get out ahead of that November vote. But Gonidakis, who has been working closely with the Republicans trying to push it through, denied there is anything suspicious about the timing.

Theres never a convenient time and theres never an inconvenient time to have a vote of the people of the state of Ohio, he said.

But in December, a leaked email obtained by WEWS/OCJ showed that Stewart put the bill forward to specifically address abortion being put on the ballot.

After decades of Republicans work to make Ohio a pro-life state, the Left intends to write abortion on demand into Ohios Constitution, the lawmaker wrote. If they succeed, all the work we accomplished by multiple Republican majorities will be undone.

The 60% is important, abortion rights activists said ina previous interview with News 5. Here are the percentages that abortion was protected in other states:

People may be skeptical of the timeline, Gonidakis said, but he has been advocating for changing the Constitution since gambling and casinos were put on the ballot, he said.

I understand because we are the tip of the spear right now in Ohio Right to Life, he added. But make no mistake, after us, its going to be somebody else I cant stress enough that protecting our Constitution applies to large businesses, small businesses in Ohio, farmers, pro-lifers, anyone.

This was one of the reasons why Gonidakis met with some business leaders about the resolution.

A group of lawmakers met with business leaders and other special interest groups on Thursday.

In attendance were state Reps. Stewart and Scott Wiggam (R-Wayne County), plus three members of House leadership, according to individuals who were in the meeting and Statehouse lobbyists in the building. It is worth noting that Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) was not in attendance.

Joined by Gonidakis and another lobbyist, that squad met with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Business Roundtable and the Ohio chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).

The meeting went well, Gonidakis said.

I think there was a collective agreement with the business community, our friends in the Second Amendment, the Right to Life groups and other associations that said, yes, we need to look at how we currently allow out-of-state groups to come into Ohio,' he said. So there was unanimity in the room.

The Ohio Business Roundtable denied this, as they did back in December when the team was forced to clarify they did not support H.J.R. 6 after Stewart wrote that the resolution is supported by Ohio Right to Life, the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Business Roundtable.

While the Ohio business community has previously pursued language that would establish guardrails to protect Ohios Constitution from out-of-state interests, the Ohio Business Roundtable did not provide any input for the language contained in the ballot reform initiatives pursued in the final months of 2022, nor the current proposals, Alexandra Denney, VP of Communications and Government Relations, told OCJ/WEWS. The Ohio Business Roundtable has not taken a position on HJR1 or any other ballot initiative proposals that have been introduced.

The Chamber also denied choosing sides.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce hasnt taken a position on either of the pending ballot reform initiatives, at this time, said Senior VP of Government Affairs for the Chamber and former state lawmaker Rick Carfagna. We have had conversations with Rep. Stewart and House leadership on ballot access guardrails we feel would be helpful. We are continuing to canvas our membership on whether we should get engaged and the best path forward on reforms.

Democrats argue that holding a special election in August further shows that this is about abortion.

We just voted to not have those anymore, just a few months ago, Speaker Stephens told reporters.

Stephens explained lawmakers chose toeliminate special elections in Augustbecause they cost about $20 million plus they have low turnout. Now, anew GOP billhas been introduced that would allow these elections under certain circumstances, one that this resolution would fall under.

The county election officials Ive talked to are not interested in having it, the speaker added. Im frankly not interested in having an election in August its the cost of the taxpayers.

Stephens is now having to defend himself against allegations of being pro-abortion,a tweet from Fridayseems to suggest.

Let me be abundantly clear. I am and have always been 100% Pro-Life. I will stand for life at every turn; however, I am not for changing the rules willy nilly at a whim when it comes to changing our constitution, he tweeted.

This also comes as other GOP lawmakers accuse him of siding with Democrats. In anexclusive TV interview with Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), she explained that the Democrats chose Stephens to be speaker due to agreements, compromises and known Democratic wants. H.J.R. 6 was one of the bills the pair seemed to have an understanding on, she said.

No matter the GOP shenanigans going on behind the scenes, Miller is fed up.

Were having a shocking about-face where just in December, a law passed that would limit our August special elections and now theyre talking about doing one, she said. And really, the only reason to do an August special election is because they cant get lawmakers together to pass this highly unpopular, undemocratic and unfair piece of legislation.

The resolution will continue to have hearings this week.

FollowWEWSstatehouse reporter Morgan Trau onTwitterandFacebook.

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GOP lawmakers, Right to Life meet with Ohio Chamber, Business ... - Ohio Capital Journal

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A series examining the AR-15, a weapon with a singular hold on a divided nation

Colt acquired the AR-15 patent and trademark from Armalite in 1959. The patent expired, leaving many companies to produce their own weapons, commonly called AR-style rifles. While Colt still holds the trademark, AR-15 has become a ubiquitous term for a popular style of gas-operated, magazine-fed semiautomatic rifles. For this reason, we refer to the rifle broadly as the AR-15 in this series.

The AR-15 is the best-selling rifle in the United States, industry figures indicate. Almost every major gunmaker now produces its own version of the weapon, which dominates gun dealers walls and websites.

Critics claim that the military-style gun has no legitimate civilian use yet about 1 in 20 Americans own one. So who chooses to buy an AR-15, and why?

The Washington Post and Ipsos asked nearly 400 AR-15 owners to explain their reasons for having the weapon, what they use it for and how often they fire it.

The survey found that AR-15 owners come from red, blue and purple states. Compared with Americans as a whole, AR-15 owners are significantly more likely to be White, male and between the ages 40 and 65. Theyre also more likely to have higher incomes, to have served in the military and to be Republican. And AR-15 owners are more likely to live in states former president Donald Trump won in 2020 than adults overall.

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Self-defense was the most popular reason for owning an AR-15. Other popular answers included recreation, target shooting and hunting, while some pointed to owning an AR-15 as their Second Amendment right.

Why people own

AR-15-style rifles

Q: In a few words, what are the main reasons you own an AR-15-style rifle? (Open-ended responses coded into categories.)

Self-defense/

Protect home/self/family

33%

Target shooting/

Take to range/

Competition

15%

Fun/

Recreation/

Sport

15%

Second Amendment/

It's my right/

Because I can

12%

Used in military/

Use as police

officer/

For work

4%

Like the way it looks/

Like it/

Because I want to

9%

Easy to use/Simple/

Accurate

6%

Customizable

platform/

Versatile

4%

In case of chaos/

Government tyranny

3%

Was a gift/

Inherited it

2%

Total does not equal 100 because up to two answers were accepted.

Angers liberals/

People want to ban them/

They make other people afraid

Source: Sept. 30-Oct. 11, 2022, Washington Post-Ipsos poll of 399 AR-15-style rifle owners with an error margin of +/- 5.5 percentage points.

Why people own AR-15-style rifles

Q: In a few words, what are the main reasons you own an AR-15-style rifle?

(Open-ended responses coded into categories.)

Self-defense/ Protect home/ self/family

33%

Target shooting/

Take to range/

Competition

15%

Second Amendment/

It's my right/

Because I can

12%

Like the way it looks/

Like it/

Because I want to

9%

Easy to use/

Simple/

Accurate

6%

Total does not equal 100 because up

to two answers were accepted.

Customizable platform/

Versatile

4%

Used in military

Use as police officer/

For work

4%

Source: Sept. 30-Oct. 11, 2022, Washington

Post-Ipsos poll of 399 AR-15-style rifle owners

with an error margin of +/- 5.5 percentage points.

In case of chaos/

Government tyranny

3%

Angers liberals/

People want to ban them/

They make other people afraid

2%

Was a gift/

Inherited it

2%

Why people own AR-15-style rifles

Q: In a few words, what are the main reasons you own an AR-15-style rifle? (Open-ended responses coded into categories.)

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Why do people own AR-15s? 33% of owners cited self-defense, poll ... - The Washington Post

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) Just a day after another six people were killed in a school shooting, including three children, supporters of loosening gun laws will gather in Lincoln.

The Nebraska Firearms Owners Association is promoting a rally at the Nebraska Republican Party headquarters.

Its asking everyone in support of the permitless concealed carry bill to attend.

Tuesdays event begins at 11:30 a.m. Supporters are then encouraged to head to the Nebraska State Capitol this afternoon.

Senator Tom Brewers proposal is on Tuesdays legislative agenda after advancing to the second round.

The association wants to fill both balconies as well as the rotunda with supporters, including NRA members and second amendment defenders.

Brewers bill would allow you to carry guns hidden under clothing or inside vehicles, without having to pay for a government permit or even take a gun safety course.

His proposal also overrides stricter gun laws that some cities have in place, like Lincoln.

Right now 25 other states have whats often referred to as constitutional carry laws, which allow you to carry concealed guns without a permit.

Lincolns police chief has said Brewers measure will make our city less safe.

Read more:
Gun group gathers in Lincoln just a day after another school ... - KLKN

This is an opinion column.

Lets just be truthful. Lets look in the mirror and stop pretending. Look in the mirror and stop denying what we see. Look in the mirror and stop lying.

America, we love our guns more than we love our children.

We love our guns more than we love our educators.

We love our guns more than we love feeling safe while grocery shopping, walking through the park, watching a parade, or attending an outdoor concert.

We love our guns more than we love our neighbors.

We love our guns more than we love ourselves.

Theres no lipstick to put on this slaughtered pig. Just truth.

I dont know what else to say or write about guns.

About pleas to tighten access to guns, particularly to ban assault weaponsguns able to spray dozens of bullets at the snap of a synapse, with one squeeze. To tighten gaps in the sponge-like system of background checks. To require guns be stored and locked safely in our homes.

Three more children are dead, all just nine years old. Three more educators, too, all in their young sixties. All now dead.

We dont care. Read it. Say it out loud. Its just truth.

Oh, we feel. We hurt. Our stomachs go weak, our hearts skip when we learn of yet another godawful killing spree. On Monday, a day when many families in the South are celebrating spring break, a 28-year-old woman walked into the Covenant School, a Presbyterian school in an affluent Nashville neighborhood, armed with two assault-style weapons and a handgun.

We dont yet fully know why, only what: Three more children are dead, all just nine years old. Three more educators, too, all in their young sixties. All now dead.

Rachel Dibble, who was at the church where parents gathered to be reunited with their forever-changed children shared: People were involuntarily trembling. The children started their morning in their cute little uniforms, they probably had some Froot Loops and now their whole lives changed today.

We all trembled a little bit today. Involuntarily. Yet we dont care.

The Covenant attack was the 129th mass shooting in 2023, notes the Gun Violence Archive. Its just March.

They make us sick. We dont care.

We dont even care about this truththat the founding father architects of the precious second amendment upon which we fervently stand and declare our unassailable right to bear arms in no way intended for us to bear weapons for the hell of it. And certainly not for self-defense, which gun zealots frothingly claim while blithely skipping, like school children on a playground, right over the amendments opening words: A well-regulated Militia

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Roots of the amendment extended back to England over allowing citizens to bear arms enabled the Crown to wield them as loyalists to combat dissidents. Without cannonballing into a whole history lesson, suffice it to say the royals wanted subjects to have guns so they could defend the royals, not themselves.

Theres plenty of debate about the intentions of words and phrases used by the new Americans in crafting the second amendmentlike does free State refer to separate states defending themselves against other states, or the nation/state defending itself against despotism or an attack from foreign shores?

Yet theres no debating this truth: They in no way intended for us to love guns this much.

So much so our politiciansRepublican politicians; this mirror dont liebelieve youll love them simply because they love guns. Not because of their policies, platforms, or positions to address Americas greatest needs.

Because they love guns. Ivey. Tuberville. Britt. They ran gun-totin campaign ads, as did a bevy of other Alabama Republicans during last years mind-numbing elections.

Vote for us because we love guns, too. More than our children, whom we still struggle to educate; our infants, whom we struggle to keep alive through their first birthday; and our working neighbors who cannot afford quality healthcare because we love being one of only 10 states now not to expand Medicaid. (On Monday, North Carolina Republicans Gov. Roy Cooper, surrounded by supporters from both parties, signed into a law a bill expanding Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of residents in the state.)

You may not know Tennessees Rep. Andy Ogles, who represents the Nashville district where Covenant School resides. Utterly heartbroken is how the Republican lawmaker described his feeling in the wake of the tragedyas a father of three, he wrote in a statement that offered, of course, thoughts and prayers.

By now youve likely seen Ogles 2021 Christmas photoin it, he, his wife, and the two oldest of his three children gleefully wield automatic rifles. The youngest, legally too young perhaps to bear such arms, instead holds a sign reading, Merry Christmas.

God, we love our gunsmore than our lives.

If we didnt, wed actually do something about them. Just truth.

More columns by Roy S. Johnson

After Gov Ivey signs law-and-order fentanyl bill, real work will just begin

Woke is the far rights sky is falling; it fell on them

Id like to thank my teachers, too, and this coach

Gov. Iveys legacy: Prisons? Medicaid? Her choice

Alabama Republicans parents rights bill smells like states rights; Im holding my nose

Early release of the 369 is the most compassionate, smartest thing Alabama prisons have ever done.

Roy S. Johnson is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary and winner of the Edward R. Murrow prize for podcasts: Unjustifiable, co-hosted with John Archibald. His column appears in AL.com, as well as the Lede. Subscribe to his free weekly newsletter, The Barbershop, here. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com, follow him at twitter.com/roysj, or on Instagram @roysj

Original post:
Roy S. Johnson: Face it, America, we love our guns more than our children - AL.com

Former Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock received death threats when he lobbied for the passage of Colorados red flag gun law. It was a tense time in the Spurlock house. When the sheriff was out of town, he had security details following his wife around because threats were made by known individuals credible threats, he said.

Spurlock, who retired in January, is a Republican. His choice to support red flag gun laws broke ranks with local conservatives who sharply denounced the legislation, including sheriffs across the state. In response to the law, many Colorado counties declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuary cities, including commissioners in Spurlocks Douglas County. Some Colorado sheriffs said they would not implement the law, a move that highlights their sweeping authority and unique power as elected leaders.

Looking back, Spurlock said he has no regrets. I can tell you right now, I know for a fact that it has saved lives. And I also know that no ones constitutional rights under the Second Amendment were harmed. No one had their guns taken away by SWAT teams.

That is a sticking point for conservative sheriffs and other opponents of the law that it could violate a persons constitutional rights. Supporters say people do receive due process, especially in comparison to other laws. For example, recent research cites measures such as removing children from unfit parents or laws that involuntarily commit people during a mental health crisis.

Under the red flag law, police or family members can petition to disarm a person who poses a threat to themselves or others. Ultimately, a judge makes the final call which could result in the removal of a persons firearms temporarily or for one year.

Court documents show Spurlocks department filed seven red flag orders, four of which a judge approved, since the law was enacted in 2020. Those individuals are still alive today, Spurlock said. Their family members are still alive and they're contributing members of our society.

Among the states 64 counties, Douglas County is ranked 22 for firearm deaths per capita between 2018 and 2021. It lost 122 people to either suicide or homicide firearm deaths during that four-year period.

Before the law went into effect, Spurlock said he can draw a straight line between people who died because law enforcement had no way of intervening. That includes the death of one of Spurlocks own deputies.

On New Year's Eve in 2017, sheriff's deputies responded to a man suffering a mental health crisis. It wasnt his first encounter with sheriffs deputies.

His parents removed his guns from him, Spurlock said. He was hospitalized. He was diagnosed as having a mental health crisis. But he demanded to get his guns back.

The man ultimately used those guns to ambush police, killing 29-year-old Deputy Zack Parrish and injuring six others.

It was my responsibility to step up and say, wait a second, there is a solution. There is another way, Spurlock said.

Following the killing of Parrish, Spurlock was approached by then-state legislator Alec Garnett. The first draft of the Deputy Zackari Parrish III Violence Prevention Act failed in 2018. A year later it passed amid conservative pushback.

Who is watching?

Sheriffs alone can determine if they're going to set policy as well as enforce policy, said Emily Farris, a political science professor at Texas Christian University and an expert on sheriffs. She points out sheriffs are typically elected, not appointed like police chiefs. "So they don't feel the same kind of accountability that a police chief would to a mayor, to a county, to a city manager," she said.

Farris forthcoming book with co-author Mirya Holman unravels the history of sheriffs and examines their roles today.

She sees a historical parallel when it comes to the way sheriffs interact with the red flag law. The right-wing extremist Posse Comitatus movement of the 1970s encouraged sheriffs to use their authority to interpret the Constitution. "And so from there, really, up until today, we see sheriffs doing that with movements like the Second Amendment sanctuary counties, where sheriffs decide if they're going to be the ones to enforce laws like the red flag laws or not."

Turning back the pages of history even further, Farris said in the American West sheriffs were some of the first government officials enforcing so-called law and order. They were also closely associated with vigilantes.

There was this kind of organized, unlawful, violence. And so, numerous sheriffs, including those in Colorado, were either tolerating it or even collaborating with it, Farris said.

Today, some of that Wild West ethos persists. Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams once said he would rather go to jail than implement the red flag law. He declined an interview for this story. Court records show his department has filed zero red flag orders from the date the law went into effect through January of this year.

Weld County ranked 17 for firearm deaths per capita between 2018 and 2021. It lost 170 people to either suicide or homicide firearm deaths during that four-year period.

There's always going to be law enforcement in communities that say, We won't enforce these laws. You know, the Second Amendment sanctuary cities, the Second Amendment sheriffs, said Lisa Geller, director of state affairs at Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

Geller said reluctant sheriffs underscore the need to strengthen the law. I think it's important for that reason, but also because of the very real issues with some communities, particularly communities of color and law enforcement.

A new bill in the Colorado statehouse would help address this. It would allow people such as therapists, physicians, school nurses and school counselors, educators, and district attorneys to file red flag orders. It would also fund efforts to raise awareness about the law.

During a recent committee hearing, the bills co-sponsor Senate President Steve Fenberg noted red flag laws are proliferating nationwide. Colorado is among 19 states with such a law on the books. Last year, Congress passed a measure that earmarks funding to help more states pass red flag laws.

Since we put this law in place in Colorado, it has undoubtedly saved lives, Fenberg said. It has saved the lives of people that maybe we never knew were at risk. But it also saved the lives of many people who were in the middle of a crisis and were considering taking their own lives.

Still, Fenberg said the law is underutilized. We have some communities around our state that either cant or wont file extreme risk protection [red flag] orders.

Some sheriffs showed up to the hearing to testify against the bill, including Sheriff Tony Spurlocks successor, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. He was sworn in on January 10 and his testimony suggests an ideological shift is underway at the Douglas County Sheriffs Office.

Weekly pointed to what he sees as several flaws in the current law. For example, he said in his experience, judges deny orders if a person is on a mental health hold or incarcerated. Expanding the list of people who can file petitions, as the new bill proposes, would be harmful to those in crisis, he added.

The very people who need help will be reluctant to seek it if they believe those who can help them the most will result in a search warrant on their homes and removal of their firearms, Weekly said.

El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal also spoke against the bill.

Lets get people the help they need and not remove nearly one weapon at their disposal, Roybal said in his testimony.

This legislation comes after a mass shooting in El Paso County last November at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub where five people were killed and many more injured. Some argue a red flag order could have prevented the massacre. Thats because police arrested the suspected shooter back in 2021 in a bomb threat case. They did not file a red flag order.

In Roybals testimony at the statehouse, he alluded to the notion that the red flag law would not have applied because the shooters weapons may have been obtained illegally.

Court documents show the El Paso County Sheriffs Office initiated zero red flag orders from the time the law was enacted to January of this year in a county that ranks ninth in the state for per capita firearm deaths. From 2018 to 2021, 643 residents died by firearm suicide or homicide.

Roybal is El Paso Countys former undersheriff and was elected last November. He ran on a platform that included combating assaults on our constitutional rights.

Experts say it is difficult for new candidates to unseat an incumbent or insider in a sheriff's department and subsequently challenge problematic protocols and more broadly change the culture.

Retired army lieutenant colonel John Foley ran against Roybal in the November 2022 election. He supports the red flag law and worries about the ongoing opposition at the sheriffs department. It shows a certain ideological slant that should be taken out of our law enforcement organizations, Foley said.

Sheriffs' races often go uncontested because deputies are hesitant to go against their bosses and risk losing their jobs, said Farris of Texas Christian University. This tracks with Foleys experience on the campaign trail. He said multiple deputies worked on his campaign in secret because they feared retaliation from the department.

These are some of the dynamics that contribute to the homogenous makeup of sheriffs nationwide. The majority of sheriffs remain white, male and are conservative today, Farris said.

In the realm of red flag orders, conservative politics have shaped how many sheriffs handle the law. It is a messy concoction of policing and politics that Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson said he is trying to avoid.

The challenge for me is not letting politics interfere with good progressive public safety and policing in our community, he told KUNC.

Johnsons predecessor, Joe Pelle, pushed hard for the passage of Colorados red flag gun law. Pelles son was among the Douglas County deputies injured during that fateful New Years Eve in 2017.

From the time the law was enacted to January of this year, Bould County Sheriff's Department filed four red flag orders. All were granted.

For his part, Johnson said he will implement red flag orders because, simply, its the law. But it is also the will of the people, he said. Theres a very low tolerance for gun violence and a very high expectation that law enforcement in Boulder County should follow the law.

Boulder County ranked 19 among the states 64 counties for firearm deaths per capita from 2018 to 2021. The county lost 146 people to suicide or homicide firearm deaths.

Boulder residents are still reeling from a tragedy that contributed to that statistic the 2021 mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store where 10 people were killed. Many of Johnsons deputies were directly involved in the shooting and the response to it.

Since then, community appetite to enforce stricter gun measures continues to intensify. Boulder City Council passed expansive gun control measures in the wake of the shooting and Johnson said he is paying attention. In other parts of Colorado, though, sheriffs continue to push back against new measures aimed at curbing gun violence.

This story is part of an occasional KUNC investigative series this year exploring the power of Colorado sheriffs. Robyn Vincent is a reporter with KUNCs Northern Colorado Center for Investigative Reporting.

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Red flag reckoning reflects the sweeping power of Colorado sheriffs - KUNC