Don’t tax gun owners who exercise their rights

Re: “Fund victim services with a gun tax”, editorial of October 27

The Denver Post supports a massive tax increase on guns and ammunition sold in Colorado. The supposed idea behind Prop KK is to provide services to crime victims. These victim services are already provided by cities and counties across Colorado. And what guarantee is there that the Democrat-controlled state government won’t use these tax revenues for some other crazy idea?

I know the real purpose of this increase is to curb Second Amendment rights.

If the Denver Post is so concerned about victims’ rights, then it should support a tough stance on crime. If funding victim services is that important, then Democrats can find the funding in the $40 billion state budget.

Coloradans need to do more with less. Our government can do it too. Vote no on Proposition KK.

Jeff Jasper, Westminster

I can almost guarantee that the creator of Proposition KK is a liberal Democrat politician who hates guns and wouldn’t know which end of a gun the bullet comes out of. Instead of taxing law-abiding gun owners who purchase ammunition for recreational shooting, hunting, or defense, why don’t we simply reallocate part of Colorado’s $40 billion annual budget to address “services?” ”? Oh! I forgot. No Democratic politician ever saw a tax he didn’t like.

Richard D. Van Orsdale, Broomfield

A need for funding for victim services

At the age of 14, I was not taught or talked to about consent. I was not taught that I had the ability to say no and that it should be respected. It wasn’t until I was two years into being an advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and launching the #MeToo movement that I finally identified as a survivor of sexual assault and said #MeToo. My abuser didn’t listen when I said no over and over in my living room while my parents were in the other room.

Prop KK will fund prevention programs to educate youth about understanding and practicing consent, creating boundaries, healthy relationships, and the ability to recognize red and green red flags within relationships. This programming gives young people the power to recognize red flags like those that arose in the relationship with my abuser. I think about what this programming might have meant to me as a teenager.

As an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, I know how critical and vital victim services are in our communities. In addition to supporting the primary victims, children of domestic violence receive the support they need to end the cycle of violence in their own lives.

I urge my fellow Coloradans to vote yes on Proposition KK this November. Together we can end the cycle of violence and build a better future for all.

Courtney Sutton, Colorado Springs

Let’s set the record straight about the judges on the ballot

Colorado voters have a say in retaining our judges; don’t let it pass. Helpful information is available from the Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation in the Voter Blue Book and online at KnowYourJudge.com.

This information is collected by judicial performance commissions throughout Colorado. These bipartisan commissions are made up of citizens, not judges. They are appointed by various authorities, including legislators from both sides of the aisle, the chief justice of our state Supreme Court, and the governor.

Commissioners are your neighbors and co-workers, and they take seriously their duty to hold judges who serve their community to defined performance standards.

Commissioners dedicated hours of volunteer work to evaluate the judges and provide voters with a summary of their findings. They analyze multiple data points, including observing judges in the courtroom, reviewing rulings, surveys and interviews with attorneys and others who had contact with the judges, and interviews with the judges. It is an in-depth evaluation process that provides information to voters and helps judges do their jobs better.