Pueblo councilman to introduce ‘2nd Amendment sanctuary’ resolution

Counties across Colorado have issued their own response to the controversial Red Flag bill working its way through the Colorado General Assembly, and now a Pueblo city councilman wants the Steel City to not enforce a law that many say is “unconstitutional.”

Pueblo City Councilman Mark Aliff said he’s going to introduce a resolution at Monday’s council meeting to declare Pueblo a “Second Amendment sanctuary city,” according to our partners at the Pueblo Chieftain.

It’s directly in response to HB19-1177, known as the Extreme Risk Protections Orders bill. It would give law enforcement or household members the ability to seek a court order that would temporarily remove a person’s firearms if they’re believed to be a high risk to themselves or others.

The resolutions essentially say that no local government resources will be used “for the purpose of enforcing law that unconstitutionally infringes on the right of the people to keep and bear arms,” according to the Fremont County resolution.

Pueblo’s neighboring county was one of the first in Colorado to pass a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution. Other county sheriffs, including El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, have said they can’t support the bill as written because they believe it infringes on a citizen’s right to due process.

Aliff told the Chieftain his resolution would make Pueblo “immune” from the legislation if it’s signed into law.

HB19-1177 passed a vote by the Senate Appropriations committee Tuesday and will next head to a vote on the full Senate floor.