Concealed Carry With No Permit Sponsor Tim Neville to Host Giveaway of AR-15

Last month, we told you about legislation sponsored by state senator Tim Neville that would allow concealed carry without a permit in Colorado.

Senate Bill 16-017, the original version of which is shared here, is still alive; on February 12, according to the Colorado General Assembly's history page, the state senate's Appropriations committee referred the amended document to the senate Committee of the Whole.

But that doesn't mean that Neville — who's also running for the U.S. Senate in the hopes of defeating current seat-holder Michael Bennet — is resting on his Second Amendment bona fides. 

He'll host what he's calling a "March 1st Precinct Caucus AR-15 Giveaway," during which those who caucus on his behalf will have a chance to win what the Colorado Independent describes as a "sparkling new Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport AR-15 military-style assault rifle."

No one can accuse Neville of being on the fence when it comes to gun-rights advocacy. Visitors to his U.S. Senate campaign website's home page will see this image....

...and the Issues section features the following pro-arms statement:

Defend The Second Amendment

I believe that the Second Amendment is clear — the right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT be infringed.

To that end, I strongly OPPOSE any and all federal gun control efforts.

I believe that the Second Amendment serves as a bulwark against tyranny, and I oppose all attempts to control or regulate firearms.

If elected to the U.S. Senate, I will lead the fight to protect the rights of every American to keep and bear arms.

Moreover, the most recent item on his Tim Neville for Senate Facebook page is a link to an item inviting visitors to become a citizen co-sponsor of "Constitutional carry" — the umbrella term for concealed carry without a permit. (The idea is that the right to carry a weapon is established by the U.S. Constitution without regulatory interference from any state or local body.)

The Constitutional carry address sports this image....


...and the following pledge:

Whereas:
the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Whereas:
law abiding citizens shouldn't need government permission to exercise their right to carry; and

Whereas:
the 2nd amendment is protected both by the U.S. Constitution and by the Constitution of the state of Colorado, and;

Whereas:
State Senator Tim Neville's Constitutional Carry bill will restore the inalienable right to carry a handgun for self-defense.

Therefore:
As a Citizen Cosponsor, I urge you as my elected official to support, cosponsor and vote for Tim Neville's Consitutional Carry bill.

This theme is also sounded in a letter about the AR-15 giveaway obtained by the Independent.

It was sent out on Valentine's Day.

We've included a screen capture of the missive below, but here are a couple of excerpts about the giveaway:

Of course, I know the anti-gun media may hate it. And I know the political talking heads may sneer as they continue blaming guns and law-abiding gun owners for the acts of thugs and madmen.

I am THE pro-gun, pro-Constitution candidate in this race for U.S. Senate — and I can’t think of a better way to get that word out before March 1st than by giving away a brand new AR-15.

The AR-15 offer appears meant to make Neville stand out from other Republicans who'd like to face off against Bennet in the Senate race, including Robert Blaha, Ryan Frazier, Jack Graham, Jon Keyser and Donald Rosier.

But whether it will endear him to the electorate as a whole is another question.

Note that Fox31 — hardly the most liberal of media operations — asked its viewers if they thought the AR-15 giveaway was a good idea. At the time its piece on the subject aired, the vote was 71 percent against, 29 percent in favor.

Here's the Fox31 report, followed by the letter and the unamended bill.

Senate Bill 16-017