Rio Grande County commissioners are seeking federal intervention in Colorado state government. In a letter to the president that the commissioners approved sending during their weekly Wednesday meeting on May 14, Rio Grande County points to new legislation governing semi-automatic firearms and legal protections for transgender individuals as the latest examples of “unconstitutional state legislation and government overreach” in Colorado.
“As representatives of our predominantly staunch conservative constituency, we are deeply committed to the defense of the Constitution of the United States and the liberties and freedoms protected therein. Over the last decade, we have witnessed firsthand the rapid decline of constitutional governance within the state of Colorado through a relentless wave of unconstitutional state legislation and government overreach,” expressed the three commissioners in their letter to Donald Trump.
They asked the president and the U.S. attorney general to order a review of the recent legislation adopted by the Colorado state assembly. “We respectfully request your support by exercising the authority as the chief executive of our great nation to defend the people of Colorado against their own state government’s unlawful actions. We do not make this request lightly,” the commissioners said in their letter.
A week ago, the commissioners disappointed some of their own constituents when they killed a proposal for a special recreation district and the idea of an indoor aquatics center without sending the issue to registered voters of Rio Grande County to decide. That decision prompted members of the nonprofit San Luis Valley Aquatics to issue their own letter criticizing the commissioners.
“The Commissioners had the opportunity to let voters decide. They chose not to. And that, more than anything, is a loss for democracy of our county,” a statement from the SLV Aquatics board read.
Rio Grande County’s letter to the president mirrors a letter sent by Montrose County Board of County Commissioners.
“As a rural Colorado county, we have been forced to adopt policies developed by ideological partisan zealots who control the state legislature with the full backing of the Governor’s office. We have been compelled by state departmental bureaucracies to enforce regulations that are antithetical to our core beliefs.
“Citizens are being criminalized for lawful actions. Parents are losing control over their children’s upbringing. Property owners are being buried under regulatory tyranny. County governments, the last bastions of local voice and representation, are being rendered powerless against the state’s growing central authority,” the letter states.
In April, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed SB25-003 which requires Coloradans to pass a gun safety education course before they can purchase certain semi-automatic firearms with a detachable magazine or gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine. There are exceptions to the new law, including for law enforcement, gunsmiths, private security and educational settings.
“This law is not a ban, and I have been clear that I oppose banning types of firearms. Proper gun safety education and training, however, are key components of public safety and responsible gun ownership,” Polis said at the time of the bill signing.
Polis has not yet signed HB25-1312, which addresses the rights of transgender individuals in Colorado.