Ed Straker
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Counties require new gun permits
New sheriffs want public to reapply for concealed weapons
By Sarah Huntley, Rocky Mountain News
February 25, 2003
There's a new sheriff in town - and in a host of Colorado counties that means new paperwork for gun owners who want to keep their concealed weapons permits.
Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, sworn in last month to replace his former boss Ed Jordan, announced Monday that on March 31 he plans to revoke all permits issued by his predecessor.
Anyone who wishes to carry a concealed weapon after that date must fill out a new application, pay a $25 renewal fee and undergo another background check.
The reapplication process will affect about 700 people in Weld County, sheriff's spokeswoman Margie Martinez said Monday.
Roughly 300 permit holders have already begun to fill out the papers after receiving notices that were mailed out in October, Martinez said.
The new requirement is the result of a legal interpretation, not any philosophical shift, according to Martinez.
"The new sheriff is very much in support of issuing concealed weapons permits to those who have every reason to hold them," she said. "But it is our county's legal opinion that the former sheriff's card is not valid. They are only good as long as the sheriff (who issued them) is in office."
Anyone who fails to reapply by March 31 will be violating the law if they continue to carry a concealed weapon. "It would be like they never had a permit," Martinez said.
Weld County isn't alone.
More than half of Colorado's 64 counties have new sheriffs, in many cases because of term limits.
Several sheriffs said Monday they concur with Weld County's interpretation.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office, which tops the state with more than 4,300 permit holders, recently completed its renewal process.
Sgt. Jim Groth said newly elected Sheriff Terry Maketa, who lowered application costs and dropped the minimum age from 25 to 21, promised during his campaign that there would be no lapse in permits when he took office.
His staff completed the process in early January, denying only three renewal requests out of thousands - those three because the permit holders were charged with crimes since their original application.
Teller County Sheriff Kevin Dougherty said he, too, has required the 200-plus permit holders in his jurisdiction to renew permits that were invalidated when Frank Fehn left office.
"That's all that card is good for, his term of office. It's kind of like when your drivers license expires," Dougherty said.
Dougherty created a new application that includes more detailed information about current state laws and re-fingerprinted permit holders as part of the renewals. He said he asked to speak with some individuals but has not turned down any renewals.
Dudley Brown, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, the state's largest gun-rights organization, called the reapplications unnecessary.
"Many of these regime changes are in name only" he said, pointing out that some of those elected have served as undersheriffs for their predecessors.
Brown also said state law already protects sheriffs from liability as long as their agency conducted required background checks.
"There's no need to do this," said Brown, who worries that tying permits to elections could pave the way for corruption.
But several new sheriffs said they feel the burden of issuing concealed weapons permits and vowed to take their responsibility seriously.
"I wasn't involved when (the former sheriff) signed off on these," Dougherty said. "It's kind of difficult when you weren't part of the process."
huntleys@com or (303) 892-5212
http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_1768689,00.html
New sheriffs want public to reapply for concealed weapons
By Sarah Huntley, Rocky Mountain News
February 25, 2003
There's a new sheriff in town - and in a host of Colorado counties that means new paperwork for gun owners who want to keep their concealed weapons permits.
Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, sworn in last month to replace his former boss Ed Jordan, announced Monday that on March 31 he plans to revoke all permits issued by his predecessor.
Anyone who wishes to carry a concealed weapon after that date must fill out a new application, pay a $25 renewal fee and undergo another background check.
The reapplication process will affect about 700 people in Weld County, sheriff's spokeswoman Margie Martinez said Monday.
Roughly 300 permit holders have already begun to fill out the papers after receiving notices that were mailed out in October, Martinez said.
The new requirement is the result of a legal interpretation, not any philosophical shift, according to Martinez.
"The new sheriff is very much in support of issuing concealed weapons permits to those who have every reason to hold them," she said. "But it is our county's legal opinion that the former sheriff's card is not valid. They are only good as long as the sheriff (who issued them) is in office."
Anyone who fails to reapply by March 31 will be violating the law if they continue to carry a concealed weapon. "It would be like they never had a permit," Martinez said.
Weld County isn't alone.
More than half of Colorado's 64 counties have new sheriffs, in many cases because of term limits.
Several sheriffs said Monday they concur with Weld County's interpretation.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office, which tops the state with more than 4,300 permit holders, recently completed its renewal process.
Sgt. Jim Groth said newly elected Sheriff Terry Maketa, who lowered application costs and dropped the minimum age from 25 to 21, promised during his campaign that there would be no lapse in permits when he took office.
His staff completed the process in early January, denying only three renewal requests out of thousands - those three because the permit holders were charged with crimes since their original application.
Teller County Sheriff Kevin Dougherty said he, too, has required the 200-plus permit holders in his jurisdiction to renew permits that were invalidated when Frank Fehn left office.
"That's all that card is good for, his term of office. It's kind of like when your drivers license expires," Dougherty said.
Dougherty created a new application that includes more detailed information about current state laws and re-fingerprinted permit holders as part of the renewals. He said he asked to speak with some individuals but has not turned down any renewals.
Dudley Brown, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, the state's largest gun-rights organization, called the reapplications unnecessary.
"Many of these regime changes are in name only" he said, pointing out that some of those elected have served as undersheriffs for their predecessors.
Brown also said state law already protects sheriffs from liability as long as their agency conducted required background checks.
"There's no need to do this," said Brown, who worries that tying permits to elections could pave the way for corruption.
But several new sheriffs said they feel the burden of issuing concealed weapons permits and vowed to take their responsibility seriously.
"I wasn't involved when (the former sheriff) signed off on these," Dougherty said. "It's kind of difficult when you weren't part of the process."
huntleys@com or (303) 892-5212
http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_1768689,00.html
