A Colorado newspaper columnist has spoken out against a city gun ordinance that made him a criminal.
The Denver Post’s Jon Caldara penned a column and published a video in which he condemned the city of Boulder’s new “assault weapons” ban and said he would refuse to surrender his weapons.
Watch the video, entitled “Why I won’t comply with Boulder’s gun ban,” below:
“At the beginning of January I became a criminal in my tolerant hometown of Boulder,” said Caldara, who is also the president of the nonprofit group Independence Institute.
Jan. 1 was the date that Boulder’s “assault weapons” ban officially began. The ordinance was passed in April 2018 on first reading without any amendments made to the proposal.
It targeted “assault weapons, bump stocks, and high-capacity magazines,” and required anyone in possession of those items to either surrender them for destruction, or pay a fee to register them with the Boulder Police Department.
VIDEO: Caldara explains why he will not comply with Boulder’s “assault weapon” ban.
I thought I should explain why I cannot comply with Boulder’s bigoted gun ban. I would like folks to understand my point of view.https://t.co/5BwJO7gSnm #copolitics #coleg #2A
— Jon Caldara (@JonCaldara) January 9, 2019
“Because I own a long gun with a pistol grip and a detachable magazine, I had to the end of December to self-identify to the police, present myself for investigation and my gun for inspection, pay fees in order to receive a police-issued permission slip, all to avoid jail time, monetary penalties, and the confiscation and destruction of my gun,” Caldara explained.
Caldara lamented on the harm of progressivist policies that he calls intolerant and abusive.
“I have never been convicted or even charged with a crime in my 54 years of life, but this week I became a criminal,” he wrote. “I am no different than potentially thousands of other Boulderites who cannot bring themselves to submit to this ugliness. And yes, I know, most people today don’t see this as ugly or intolerant, but simply a reasonable thing to do about this ‘epidemic.’ After all, something needs to be done.”
7AM UPDATE:Progressives wield intolerance like the weapon it is. But are they kidding us or themselves when they smugly assert their tolerance? Do they believe their “Celebrate Diversity” bumper stickers, blind to the hypocrisy? #copolitics #EastCalifornia https://t.co/gl9sz1XrbL pic.twitter.com/bgf7ZxTUya
— Complete Colorado (@CompleteCO) January 2, 2019
Caldara also described how his family has been affected by his decision to retain his guns, as he argues the Constitution permits.
“For publicly stating that I will not comply, my daughter has been targeted at her Boulder school, the one with posters celebrating tolerance and diversity all over the walls,” he wrote. “My refusal to submit has been commented on by teachers in front of their classes. She has been ganged up on by students and bullied because ‘her father is a murderer.’ She is worried that I will be taken to jail. As a single dad to her and her handicapped brother, I have to admit I’m worried about that too.”
In May 2018, Caldara joined a lawsuit against the city of Boulder over the ordinance.
“The right of self-defense is an unalienable, natural and fundamental right,” the lawsuit argues, according to The Denver Post. “The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution memorializes the right of self-defense.”
