Colorado sheriff downplays domestic violence to defend gun ownership

A Colorado sheriff this week attacked legislation to ban domestic abusers from having guns by suggesting the crime could be committed by merely breaking a framed photograph.

At a town hall meeting on Thursday, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa blasted new gun laws that are expected to be signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), claiming they would be ineffective and unconstitutional. He described a bill that requires people served with a domestic violence protection order to relinquish their guns as ridiculous.

"Now, here is the logic behind this bill," Maketa said. "Let's just use the example of a man. A man is arrested because he and his wife got in a domestic dispute. He sees the wedding picture. She says don't touch that. He takes it and says we're done anyway and breaks it, and then says I'm leaving the house because it is getting too emotional, we need to calm things down."

"He is going to jail for criminal mischief," he continued. "We're going to let him post bond, which he is still trying to get his hands around what he did wrong. He is going to appear before a judge and be told you cannot go back to the house, you cannot have contact with your spouse, you cannot have contact with your kids, and you need to take all your firearms and ammunition and dispose of them."

The sheriff claimed the bill was illogical because it would force the man to return to his home to gather his firearms to relinquish them. However, the legislation states the man would only be required to relinquish firearms in his "immediate possession or control."

At the townhall meeting, Maketa said he would not enforce any new gun laws.

Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by El Paso County, below:

(Comments on domestic violence begin around the 29:40 mark)