Supported by the National Rifle Association, opponents of a gun show background check ballot initiative backed by President Clinton challenged the proposal in the Colorado Supreme Court on April 24, forcing sponsors to hold off gathering signatures for now.
The initiative, targeted for the November ballot, would require background checks by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation on all gun sales at gun shows, according to Associated Press.
William Herpin Jr. of Colorado Springs, supported by state gun organizations and the NRA, challenged the measure, saying it violates the state constitution because it covers more than one subject.
The state Title Board has already rejected that challenge and approved the initiative for the ballot, but the NRA said it would challenge the initiative all the way to Colorado’s Supreme Court.
Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic (SAFE), sponsor of the initiative, has until August to gather more than 62,000 signatures of Colorado voters. Informed sources report that SAFE has the funding necessary to successfully gather the required signatures by the deadline, and to conduct a vigorous advertising campaign in support of the ballot measure.
Herpin’s challenge could force SAFE to wait weeks before collecting signatures. SAFE co-founder Arnie Grossman has called the legal challenge a delaying tactic.
The gun show background check proposal was defeated by the Colorado legislature several times during this year’s legislative session.
Clinton visited Colorado in mid-April at SAFE’s invitation to endorse the initiative.