I figure our productions had about a million dollars impact in Colorado last year. We were in the process of consolidating our productions here. Both RAPID FIRE and THE BEST DEFENSE were slated to be filmed entirely in CO, with all of SHOOTING GALLERY's studio and range/specialty videography moved to CO. We were discussing bringing GUN STORIES specialty videography here as well.
All filming in Colorado has been cancelled and rescheduled out of the state as of 21 March. And yes, it has been expensive for us.
And yes, I speak only for my own productions and my production company, Flying Dragon Ltd (as I explained repeatedly to the Republican Caucus...when you "go viral," you don't necessarily go
verbatim)...I am an independent producer under exclusive contract to OUTDOOR CHANNEL.
The reason I wrote the letter to Senator King, at his request, is that I was not allowed to speak at the Colorado Legislature and in fact was told that I DID NOT qualify as "an expert," although 4 members of "Hunters Against Assault Weapons," a group that does not appear to exist and that admitted to being fully funded by Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns, were admitted as "experts." As I said, we are small potatoes, but I move in a small circle of other television and movie producers. And we talk. I know of at least 2 cancellations of projects that were slated for Colorado.
While there is certainly an ethical/political component to our pullout, I want to emphasize that these laws are CRAZY DANGEROUS for all of us. I've been chronicling the potential dangers of these laws on my blog. If you are thinking of hunting in or visiting Colorado, I strongly urge you to
read this blogpost, reposted from Jim Rawles Survival Blog. In it attorney Timothy J. Priebe outlines some of the dangers for gun owners living in or visiting Colorado. I note that both the Ruger Rimfire Challenge World Championships, which I was instrumental in bringing to Colorado, and the IDPA Rocky Mountain Regionals have been cancelled and are being rescheduled out of the state...in both cases because of the potential dangers facing shooters because of the new laws
We're still trying to get a legal read on the implications for "probable cause" for a stop/arrest because of the new laws. For example, if you are leaving a 3-Gun match (which typically features firearms that use magazines larger than the 15-round capacity limit), is that alone sufficient probable cause for the police to stop you and engage in a "fishing expedition" for illegal magazines? As the Colorado Sheriffs and others have said, these laws are so vague that the potential for misuse —
and abuse — is huge.
I cannot and will not put my crews at risk of violating these unconstitutional laws.
My Sweetie and I have made the commitment to stay in Colorado until 2014 at the least. Because of my high visibility in the firearms community, I believe I can make a difference in the 2014 elections, and I believe I have a moral responsibility to try.
Michael B