Colorado Democrats killed two child protection bills in House committees during February. Citizens had already gathered over half a million signatures to bypass the legislature entirely.
Protect Kids Colorado submitted petitions to the Secretary of State on February 20. The House Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 to kill the “Children Are Not for Sale Act.” Eight days later, HB26-1087 died in House Health & Human Services. The grassroots response mobilized 3,300 petition circulators across all 64 counties.
The Democratic position on federal authority took a sharper turn in Denver. Mayor Mike Johnston signed Executive Order 152 on Thursday directing Denver police to physically detain ICE agents who use excessive force. Title 18 U.S.C. § 372 prohibits conspiring to obstruct federal officers. The Department of Homeland Security called the order “legally illiterate.”
That same defiance of federal law appeared in Tuesday night’s State of the Union. President Trump asked every member of Congress to stand if they agreed that the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. Every Republican stood. Not a single Democrat did.
Secretary of State Jena Griswold has built her attorney general campaign on similar resistance messaging. She issued a statement attacking Trump’s election policies. Democracy Docket quoted it. Griswold then shared their article on her campaign page, citing herself as independent corroboration.
The sentencing disparity between two Colorado officials convicted of the same felony class tells a different story about which rules get enforced. Former state Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis got probation for attempting to influence public servants. Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters got nine years in prison for the same charge category.
Colorado hunters face their own compliance crisis. Senate Bill 25-003 takes effect August 1 requiring a state permit before buying certain semi-automatic rifles. A hunter who skips the process faces a class 2 misdemeanor. A second offense is a class 6 felony. The Department of Revenue is required by statute to publish the list of covered firearms. That list does not exist. The application portal won’t open until July.
The Parks and Wildlife Commission convenes March 4-5 to impose new restrictions where none are biologically justified. CPW is asking the commission to establish a daily bag limit of 15 animals across all 17 hunted furbearer species. No other state imposes daily bag limits on all furbearers. Laura Clellan was confirmed as director four days before the meeting.
Support Independent Local Journalism — High Country Advocate was created as a real alternative to regional media that too often silences dissenting voices while taking sides in the political struggle. Producing in-depth, unflinching reporting like this series and others is expensive: servers, editing, research time, and legal review all add up quickly. If these articles have informed you or given you new perspective, please consider supporting HCA with a paid subscription — every subscriber helps keep this reporting strong and independent. 