Tag Archives: Jared Polis

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Assault weapons ban: Sen. Chris Murphy doesn’t think Democrats have 60 votes to pass it

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CNN
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Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said Senate Democrats don’t have the 60 votes needed to advance an assault weapons ban bill but expressed optimism on CNN’s “State of the Union” that something could get done in the next Congress if Democrats keep their seat in Georgia.

“I’m glad that President (Joe) Biden is gonna be pushing us to take a vote on an assault weapons ban,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday morning. “The House has already passed it. It’s sitting in front of the Senate. Does it have 60 votes in the Senate right now? Probably not. But let’s see if we can try to get that number is close to 60 as possible. If we don’t have the votes, then we’ll talk to [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer and maybe come back next year, with maybe an additional senator, and see if we can do better.”

Murphy also said there needs to be a conversation in the US Senate about funding law enforcement in counties that are refusing to enforce state and national gun laws.

“They have decided that they are going to essentially refuse to implement laws that are on the books. That is a growing problem in this country,” he said. “And I think we’re gonna have to have a conversation about that in the United States Senate. Do we want to continue to supply funding to law enforcement in counties that refuse to implement state and federal gun laws?”

He added: “I’ll talk to my colleagues about what our approach should be to this problem. But 60% of counties in this country are refusing to implement the nation’s gun laws, we’ve got to do something about that.”

A recent shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, involved an assault-style weapon and a handgun, while officials said the shooter at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, last week was armed with a handgun and multiple magazines.

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado was pressed in two separate interviews Sunday about a total ban on assault style weapons, telling both NBC and CBS that a variety of factors go into his thinking on the issue.

“I think all of these things, including the red flag law and expanding its use, should really be looked at,” Polis told NBC.

“We learn from each instance, but you also have to look at all of the causes,” he said in his interview with CBS. “We also need to pursue the mental health aspect of this and other shooting incidences.”

Asked by NBC about Colorado’s red flag law and its role in the recent mass shooting, Polis said: “This looks like this would have been a good instance for the use of Colorado’s new red flag law, which has been used several hundred times but could have been used even more to prevent these kinds of tragic events or more often to prevent self-harm or suicide.”

Colorado passed its red flag law in 2019, which is intended to temporarily prevent an individual in crisis from accessing firearms through a court order, triggered by the individual’s family, a member of their household or a law enforcement officer. While it’s still unclear whether a red flag law was triggered by the shooter’s past incident of a bomb threat in 2021, Polis told CBS: “I’m sure what will be looked into is, ‘Why wasn’t it pursued?’”

Congress returns this week with a jam-packed to-do list in the lame duck session, focused primarily on the must-pass government funding bill, as well as other priorities. But any action on gun legislation – particularly the assault weapons ban Biden has repeatedly called for – does not have the votes to pass. And the reality of a divided Congress in next year’s session makes it highly unlikely that anything will pass over the next two years.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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What we know about the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs

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CNN
 — 

A 22-year-old gunman killed at least five people and injured 25 others in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, just before midnight Saturday, police said Sunday.

The suspect in the shooting at Club Q was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, according to Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez.

Upon entering the club, he immediately opened fire before at least two people inside the club confronted and fought him, preventing further violence, Vasquez said.

“We owe them a great debt of thanks,” he said.

Aldrich is being treated at a hospital, police said. Officers did not shoot at him, police said.

Colorado has seen some of the worst mass shootings in US history, including the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. Last year in Colorado Springs, a mass shooting at a birthday party left six dead.

Here’s what we know about the fatal attack in Colorado Springs:

The violence lasted just minutes. Police received numerous 911 calls starting at 11:56 p.m., officers were dispatched at 11:57 p.m., an officer arrived at midnight and the suspect was detained at 12:02 a.m., police said. A total of 39 patrol officers responded, police said, and Fire Department Captain Mike Smaldino said 11 ambulances went to the scene.

Aldrich used a long rifle in the shooting and two firearms were found at the scene, Vasquez, the police chief, said.

Joshua Thurman told CNN affiliate KOAA he was inside the club dancing when he heard gunshots and saw a muzzle flash.

“I thought it was the music, so I kept dancing,” he said. When he heard another round of shots, Thurman said he ran to a dressing room to hide.

He said he heard the sounds of more gunshots, people crying and windows being shattered. When he came out, he saw bodies lying on the ground, broken glass and blood, Thurman said.

Authorities initially said 18 people were injured but later adjusted that total up to 25.

Nineteen of the 25 injured had gunshot wounds, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told CNN’s Jim Acosta Sunday. Based on communication with medical personnel, Suthers said he expects the injured victims to survive and the community is “crossing our fingers” for no more fatalities.

Police said they were investigating whether the attack was a hate crime, noting Club Q’s relationship with the LGBTQ community. The shooting came as the calendar turned to Transgender Day of Remembrance on Sunday.

“Club Q is a safe haven for our LGBTQ citizens,” Vasquez said. “Every citizen has a right to feel safe and secure in our city, to go about our beautiful city without fear of being harmed or treated poorly.”

In a statement on social media, Club Q said it was “devastated by the senseless attack on our community” and thanked “the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”

Two law enforcement sources confirmed that the suspected nightclub shooter’s date of birth and name matched a person who was arrested over a bomb threat the previous year, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also told CNN he believed they were one and the same: “Everything I heard indicates it is the same person,” Polis said.

Anderson Lee Aldrich was arrested in June 2021 after a standoff at a Colorado Springs home where his mother lived, according to a news release from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at the time, and his mother’s former landlord.

Video obtained by CNN shows Aldrich surrendering to law enforcement last year after allegedly making a bomb threat. Footage from the Ring door camera of the owner of the home shows Aldrich exiting the house with his hands up and barefoot, and walking to sheriff’s deputies.

Sheriff’s deputies said in the June release that they responded to a report by Aldrich’s mother that he was “threatening to cause harm to her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition.”

Deputies called the suspect, and he “refused to comply with orders to surrender,” the press release said, leading them to evacuate nearby homes.

Several hours after the initial police call, the sheriff’s crisis negotiations unit was able to get Aldrich to leave the house he was in, and he was arrested after walking out the front door. Authorities did not find any explosives in the home.

It’s not immediately clear how the case was resolved. But the Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the district attorney’s office said no formal charges were pursued in the case. The district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.

Aldrich also called the Gazette in an attempt to get an earlier story about the 2021 incident removed from the website, the newspaper reported. “There is absolutely nothing there, the case was dropped, and I’m asking you either remove or update the story,” Aldrich said in a voice message, according to the Gazette.

Attempts by CNN to reach Aldrich’s mother for comment were unsuccessful.

Club Q opened in 2002 and was, until recently, the only LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs.

The city is the state’s second-most populous with just under 500,000 residents and is home to a number of military bases. It is the headquarters for Focus on the Family, the conservative Christian group that says homosexuality and same-sex marriage are sins.

In a July 2020 interview with Colorado Springs Indy, Club Q owner Nic Grzecka said he and his business partner opened the club to get a “permanent” safe place in the city.

The venue also hosts events for people of all ages, including brunch and planned an upcoming Thanksgiving event.

Lifelong Colorado Springs resident Tiana Nicole Dykes called Club Q “a second home full of chosen family.”

“I’m there every other week if not every single week. This space means the world to me. The energy, the people, the message. It’s an amazing place that didn’t deserve this tragedy,” Dykes told CNN on Sunday. “Something like a mass shooting at an LGBT+ safe space is damaging beyond belief. There’s feelings of disrespect, disbelief, and just pure shock. Nobody ever thinks it’s gonna happen to them, and sometimes it does.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat and the nation’s first openly gay governor, issued a statement Sunday calling the attack “horrific, sickening and devastating” and offered state resources to local law enforcement.

“We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman likely saving lives in the process and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this horrific shooting,” he said. “Colorado stands with our LGTBQ community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn together.”

Polis told CNN’s Jim Acosta there are only two gay bars in Colorado Springs, and Club Q was one of the main venues.

“Everyone knew it. I knew it, knew this venue. It’s just shocking. That’s still setting in for people. But I know we’re going to bounce back. We’re showing love for one another. We’re showing healing for one another,” the governor said.

Colorado’s two US senators, both Democrats, offered condolences in statements and said more should be done for the LGBTQ community.

“We have to protect LGBTQ lives from this hate,” Sen. John Hickenlooper said.

“As we seek justice for this unimaginable act, we must do more to protect the LGBTQ community and stand firm against discrimination and hate in every form,” Sen. Michael Bennett said.

President Joe Biden also issued a statement saying he was praying for the victims and their families.

“While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years. Gun violence continues to have a devastating and particular impact on LGBTQI+ communities across our nation and threats of violence are increasing,” Biden said in the written statement.



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Wildfire burns hundreds of homes in Colorado, thousands flee

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SUPERIOR, Colo. (AP) — Tens of thousands of Coloradans driven from their neighborhoods by a wind-whipped wildfire anxiously waited to learn what was left standing of their lives Friday as authorities reported more than 500 homes were feared destroyed.

At least seven people were injured, but there were no immediate reports of any deaths or anyone missing in the aftermath of the blaze that erupted outside Denver on Thursday and swept over drought-stricken neighborhoods with terrifying speed, propelled by gusts up to 105 mph (169 kph).

“We might have our very own New Year’s miracle on our hands if it holds up that there was no loss of life,” Gov. Jared Polis said, noting that many people had just minutes to evacuate.

By first light Friday, the towering flames that had lit up the night sky were gone, leaving smoldering homes and charred trees and fields. The winds had died down, and light snow soon began falling, raising hopes it could snuff out hot spots.

The fire erupted in and around Louisville and Superior, neighboring towns about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Denver with a combined population of 34,000. Residents were ordered to flee as the flames closed in and cast a smoky, orange haze over the landscape.

The wildfire broke out unusually late in the year, following an extremely dry fall and amid a winter nearly devoid of snow so far.

Cathy Glaab found the Superior home she shares with her husband, Richard, had been reduced to a charred and twisted pile of debris, the mailbox about the only thing still standing. It was one of seven houses in a row burned to the ground.

“Just hard. So many memories,” Glaab said, holding her head as she took in the scene. Despite the devastation, she said, they intend to rebuild the house, which had a view of the mountains from the back.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said more than 500 homes were probably destroyed. He and the governor said as many as 1,000 homes might have been lost, though that won’t be known until crews can assess the damage.

“It’s unbelievable when you look at the devastation that we don’t have a list of 100 missing persons,” the sheriff said.

The sheriff said some communities were reduced to just “smoking holes in the ground.” He urged residents to wait for the all-clear to go back, warning that it was still too dangerous in many neighborhoods because of fire and fallen power lines.

Sarah Owens, her husband, adult son and their dog got out of their Superior home within 10 minutes of learning about the evacuation from a Facebook post. But as everyone tried leaving by way of the winding streets of the affluent Rock Creek neighborhood, it took them 1 ½ hours to go 2 miles (3.2 kilometers).

Once they safely found their way to a pet-friendly hotel, their cellphones and computers could not provide them with the only thing they wanted to know: Was their house still standing?

“The good news is I think our house may be OK,” Owens said.

But from now on, she said, she plans to have a bag packed in case of another fire.

“I never thought a brush fire could cause this kind of destruction,” Owens said. “I want to stay here. No matter where you live, there are always going to be natural disasters.”

Mike Guanella and his family were relaxing at their home in Superior and looking forward to celebrating a belated Christmas when reports of a nearby grass fire quickly gave way to an order to leave immediately.

Instead of opening presents, Guanella and his wife, their three children and three dogs were staying a friend’s house in Denver, hoping their house was still standing.

“Those presents are still under the tree right now — we hope,” he said.

Sophia Verucchi and her partner, Tony Victor, returned to their apartment in Broomfield, on the edge of Superior, to find that it was spared any serious damage. They had fled the previous afternoon with just Victor’s guitar, bedding and their cat, Senor Gato Blanco.

“We left thinking it was a joke. We just felt like we were going to come back. At 5 o’clock, we thought, maybe we’re not coming back,” Verucchi said. But they got an email in the morning saying it was OK to return.

“Seeing the news and seeing all the houses burnt, we just feel very lucky,” Verucchi said.

The two towns are filled with middle- and upper-middle-class subdivisions with shopping centers, parks and schools. The area is between Denver and Boulder, home to the University of Colorado.

By late morning Friday, the blaze had burned at least 9.4 square miles (24 square kilometers) but appeared to be contained, the sheriff said.

Scientists say climate change is making weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.

Typically, Colorado wildfires have not been as headline-grabbing as those in California that have destroyed thousands of homes. But last year, the state saw an unprecedented wildfire season, with three of the largest fires in state history. Those were primarily in mountainous areas, not in suburban subdivisions.

In anticipation of a long fire season this year, Colorado lawmakers set aside millions for more equipment and other resources, including extending contracts for air tankers and helicopters.

Colorado’s Front Range, where most of the state’s population lives, had an extremely dry and mild fall, and winter has been mostly dry so far. Denver set a record for consecutive days without snow before it got a small storm on Dec. 10, its last snowfall before the wildfires broke out.

Ninety percent of Boulder County is in severe or extreme drought, and it hasn’t seen substantial rainfall since mid-summer.

Guanella said he heard from a firefighter friend that his home was still standing Thursday night. But all he could do was wait.

“You’re just waiting to hear if your favorite restaurant is still standing, if the schools that your kids go to are still standing,” he said. “You’re just waiting to get some clarity.”

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Nieberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Associated Press writer Brady McCombs contributed to this story from Salt Lake City.

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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/environment.

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