Are You On 'The List'?

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. U.S. Constitution: Second Amendment

After a hard day’s work, you’re walking to the parking lot where your car is waiting for you. Or, you’re walking to the bus stop, or train station, or maybe you’re just walking.

You’re tired and hungry, you just want to get home, change out of your work clothes and get comfortable, have a bite to eat.

But suddenly, you’re confronted by someone who wants to do you harm. He might demand your money; maybe he wants your car. If you’re a woman, he may also want you. If you’re a man, he may still want you. Same sex sexual assaults happen frequently.

It doesn’t really matter what he wants, he’s now a threat to you, he might brandish a weapon, and he may not. He might imply that he has a weapon to use on you.

At this point, you must assume you’re in danger.

You are in danger of losing your life, or sustaining great bodily injury at the hands of this assailant.

At this point, the bad guy has already decided there will be an altercation. You don’t have a choice or a say in the matter. You will probably be assaulted at the very least. The only question is; how badly will you be injured?

His adrenalin is surging, he already has a plan of attack.

Do you have a plan of defense to meet and defeat his offensive plan?

How will you defend yourself?

Can you defend yourself?

Are you prepared to defend yourself?

Does your state government allow you to defend yourself using lethal force if necessary?

I don’t know about you, but I live in the real world, where reality can be pretty ugly and dangerous. There are indeed human predators out there just looking for an opportunity to rob, rape, or murder a victim. The police simply can’t be everywhere.

My state, Colorado, is a Shall Issue state. (At least for now.) That means that if you can pass the background check to purchase a firearm, and you apply for a Concealed Weapons Permit, the state shall issue the permit to you. After you’ve paid a $100 fee and a $50 background investigation fee.

The issuing authority in my state is the Sheriff of the county in which you reside, except for the People’s Democratic Republic of Denver. In Denver the Chief of Police is the issuing authority.

When Bill Owens was Governor of Colorado, he signed the legislative bill into law that made Colorado a Shall Issue state. Now, Owens isn’t exactly my favorite politician, but he did get a few things right, and this was one of them.

Immediately after the law took effect however, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden began entering the names of legal permit holders into the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC) database. The CCIC “mission” is defined by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as;

…a computerized information system established as a service to all criminal justice agencies. The mission is to provide and maintain accurate and timely documented criminal justice information in an effort to prevent crime and protect life and property by enabling the rapid exchange of valid, complete information among criminal justice agencies. (Emphasis added)

The CBI goes on to describe the CCIC as;

…an index of wanted and missing persons and property, to identify: people and property involved in crime; members of criminal gangs; stolen property; criminal suspects; criminal methods of operation; reported crime; reported arrests; and to share crime bulletins about major crimes in other states from which suspects may flee to Colorado. (Emphasis added)

Technically, the addition of permit holders into the CCIC is voluntary among Colorado’s county sheriffs. But now, the County Sheriffs of Colorado (CSOC) association is pushing a legislative bill to make the database permanent and mandatory.

The question is; why would a sheriff want to enter the names of LEGAL Concealed Weapons Permit holders into such a database?

Dudley Brown, Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners answered the question;

“Essentially, their claim can be distilled down to keeping records on ‘persons of interest.’ What that means is that you are considered a dangerous person, just like a convicted rapist or murderer.”

Now, the official function of the CCIC database is obviously to track criminals and criminal activities. Colorado Concealed Weapons Permit holders are law-abiding citizens with no criminal history.

If you have a criminal record, you do not qualify for a permit. This is pretty straight forward.

Plain and simple.

There is no legal cause or purpose in creating and maintaining a database of permit holders that flags them as “Persons of Interest”. A permit holder is following and obeying the law. Because of the background check required, the permit holder has been vetted as a person who can be trusted with carrying a concealed handgun.

It’s pretty obvious that Law Enforcement folks, in general, are paranoid and anti-gun.

Dudley Brown at Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO) has listed the names and of Colorado Sheriffs that enter permit holders into the Criminal Database (CCIC) by county, and the number of permit holders already listed;

This information was provided to RMGO by the CBI on 3/09/07

County Offending Sheriff # in CCIC

Adams Doug Darr 1688

Alamosa Dave Strong 68

Archuleta Pete Gonzalez 606

Arapahoe Grayson Robinson 2873

Baca Steve Salzbrenner 1

Bent Gerry Oyen 13

Boulder Joseph Pelle 1307

Broomfield Tom Deland 258

Clear Creek Don Kruger 1

Crowley Miles Clark 16

Denver Chief Gary Whitman 1209

Delta Fred McKee 429

Dolores Jerry Martin 48

Eagle Joseph Hoy 141

Elbert William Frangis 18

Fremont James Beicker 611

Garfield Lou Vallario 5

Gilpin Bruce Hartman 70

Gunnison Rick Murdie 120

Hinsdale Ronald Bruce 67

Jefferson Ted Mink 3792

Kit Carson Ed Raps 62

Lake Ed Holte 51

La Plata Duke Schirard 861

Larimer Jim Alderden 3111

Lincoln Tom Nestor 5

Logan Brett Powell 85

Mesa Stan Hilkey 2181

Moffat Tim Jantz 123

Montezuma Gerald Wallace 457

Montrose Rick Dunlap 548

Otero Chris Johnson 67

Ouray Dominic Mattivi 32

Park Fred Wegener 409

Pitkin Bob Braudis 80

Prowers Jim Faull 39

Rio Blanco Si Woodruff 176

Rio Grande Brian Norton 5

San Juan Sue Kurtz 5

Teller Kevin Dougherty 697

Yuma Sam McCoy 63

Total 22398

If you live in any of the Colorado counties listed, and hold a Concealed Weapons Permit, you may be already in the CCIC.

If you have a permit and believe you should not be listed among convicted rapists, thieves, and murderers, as a person of interest, then you need to contact your county sheriff and let them know. You should also show them how you feel about it the next time you vote.

The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts.
Edmund Burke (1729-97), Irish philosopher, statesman, letter, April 3, 1777, to the Sheriffs of Bristol

One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation.
Thomas B. Reed (1839-1902), Speaker of the House, 51st, 54th and 55th U.S. Congresses, 1886