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Brown in the crossfire

Representative caught in the middle of gun-control drama

DENVER – A rare procedural move in the Colorado House on Wednesday aimed at forcing a vote to overturn the state’s ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines caught Republican Rep. J. Paul Brown in the crossfire.

Rep. Justin Everett, R-Littleton, made a motion to amend the House journal in order to force a vote to repeal the ban on ammunition magazines of more than 15 rounds. A Democrat-controlled committee already had shot the repeal proposal down by killing Senate Bill 175.

House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, ruled Everett’s attempt out of order, which caused Everett to call for a vote challenging the speaker’s decision. Lawmakers in the House ultimately backed Hullinghorst, and the challenge was lost.

Brown, from Ignacio, was one of only five Republicans to join in supporting the speaker.

“It went through the committee process. I don’t like the way the committee voted on it, but that’s what happened,” Brown said. “The speaker can be wrong on certain things. I think the speaker can be challenged. But in this particular case, when you’re trying to overturn what a committee did, that doesn’t seem like the right thing to do.”

Everett, however, said Brown should have supported challenging the speaker, questioning Brown’s commitment to repealing gun-control laws passed by Democrats in 2013.

“We have a recorded vote on where people stand on SB 175,” Everett said. “(Brown) can have his opinion on whatever he wants, but I think this is a direct reflection on whether you support SB 175 or not.”

Brown dismissed that notion, pointing out that he put his name on a lawsuit seeking to overturn gun-control measures.

“I am totally in favor of a repeal of those gun laws,” Brown said. “That’s very unfair of him to say.”

Everett pointed out that had the bill received a floor vote, it likely would have passed because at least two Democrats support repealing the ban. One of those Democrats is Rep. Steve Lebsock of Thornton. But Lebsock said he disapproved of the way Everett went about the procedure.

“The vote (Wednesday) had nothing to do with magazines or firearms,” Lebsock said. “The vote (Wednesday) had to do with the committee vote, and the committee voted a certain way, and I was not going to reverse the will of the committee.”

Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, lambasted Everett during remarks from the House floor.

“I have never seen this happen in all of my time down here,” Duran said. “It is unbelievable, it is disrespectful, and I hope we can go forward and think about decorum and respect for this institution and respect for democracy.”

pmarcus@durangoherald.com



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