Colorado’s ‘waiting period’ gun law to go into effect on October 1

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - On Oct. 1, a new gun law will go into place, preventing people from getting a gun they've bought for at least three days. Purchasers will be able to pick up their gun three days after the initiation of a required background check or when the purchase is approved, whichever is longer.

For Board Member of Colorado Ceasefire Tom Mauser, it's a good way of keeping impulsive firearm purchases, and the potential violence that may follow, down in Colorado.

"I think the primary purpose behind this three-day waiting period is to really reduce the risk of impulsive gun purchases that could lead to suicide, the shooting of a spouse or a coworker or even indeed a mass shooting, because you'll see that, especially in those kinds of cases, often those shootings are impulsive acts," Mauser said.

However, Ted Collins, owner of Spartan Defense & Armory, says that the newly minted law is an infringement on his Second Amendment rights.

"I would say any amount of way period is an infringement on your government, constitutional, [and] God-given rights," Collins said. "In my opinion, if you've gone through a federal and state background check and you pass, you're good to go. Three days isn't going to change anything and it's definitely not going to change someone that's intent on doing harm."

Both parties acknowledge the argument that a three-day waiting period might prevent someone from committing suicide.

"What we've seen, especially in the case of suicides, [is] that when you when someone gets a chance to cool down, they think about it, and then maybe they back off from the idea of suicide," Mauser said.

Collins remembers a certain lawmakers train of thought when voting on this bill.

"Her reason was, when she was younger, she drove to a gun store, waited in the parking lot, and was thinking about killing herself. That was her reasoning for this three-day waiting period," Collins said.

That doesn't change his opinion on how he thinks this bill impacts his rights.

"I strongly disagree with this new law. I hope to God it's overturned," Collins said.

For Mauser, it's not about his rights -- it's about the memory of his son, lost too soon in the Columbine shooting.

"So long as we have this terrible problem of gun violence, I feel that I'm going to continue to work at reducing those numbers because doing nothing is not going to solve this problem. People saying that the Second Amendment is an absolute right isn't going to solve this problem," Mauser said.

Gun store owners who deliver a firearm before the allotted waiting time face a fine of $500 for the first infraction, and up to $5,000 for the second infraction. The waiting period does not include antique or curio firearms and does not apply to members of the Armed Forces deployed in the next 30 days. For more information on the law, click here.