Farmers tout importance of gun access in suit against Colorado governor

Horses graze in the shadow of the Rampart Range north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, prime territory for mountain lions. The Colorado Farm Bureau is suing the state of Colorado because they feel gun legislation passed in 2012 keeps ranchers from protecting their livestock from predators that populate much of the state. PHOTO: Morgan Spiehs / News21

By Robby Korth

For farmers and ranchers in the west – and across the nation – guns are an important part of defending livestock and property from predators.

People in Colorado are surrounded by mountainous and forested terrain near the Rockies, ripe territory for mountain lions and bears, while coyotes and foxes populate the plains further away from the mountains.

It can be impossible, some farmers and ranchers say, to predict where these predators might strike cows, sheep or pigs that populate the state’s farms.

“Wild animals don’t put down in an appointment book when they’re going to harass livestock, so (a gun) is something you might need at a moment’s notice,” said Chad Vorthmann, Vice President of the Colorado Farm Bureau.

For those in rural areas quick access to a gun is necessary for defense, he said.

That’s why the Farm Bureau joined in on a lawsuit aimed at repealing Colorado’s 2013 gun control legislation with a group of the state’s sheriffs and other gun industry stakeholders. The lawsuit should be resolved sometime in July, said John Cooke, Weld County Sheriff and a leader of the suit.

Farmers are especially concerned with the universal background check measure signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper last year.

Part of the law states that a background check must be performed through a federally licensed firearms dealer. For those rural areas, the nearest dealer could be miles and miles away.

“I think that we did everything that we could,” Vorthmann said. “We had our voice heard.”

Robby Korth is a News21 Peter Kiewet Fellow.