Don’t tax gun owners who exercise their rights

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

The Denver Post supports a massive tax increase on guns and ammunition sold in Colorado. The purported idea behind Proposition KK is to provide services for victims of crime. These victim services are already provided by Colorado cities and counties. And what guarantee is there that the Democratic-controlled state government won’t use those tax revenues for another wild idea?

I know the real purpose of this increase is to reduce someone’s Second Amendment rights.

If the Denver Post is so concerned about victims’ rights, then The Post should take a tough stance on crime. If funding for victim services is such a big problem, then Democrats can find the funding in the state’s $40 billion budget.

Coloradans must do more with less. So can our government. Vote no on Proposition KK.

Jeff Jasper, Westminster

I can guarantee that the initiator Prop. KK is a gun-hating liberal democrat politician who wouldn’t know which end of the gun the bullet comes out of. Instead of taxing law-abiding gun owners who buy ammunition for recreational shooting and hunting or for defense, why don’t we just reallocate some of Colorado’s $40 billion annual budget to deal with “services?” Oh! I forgot. No Democratic politician ever saw a tax they didn’t love.

Richard D VanOrsdale, Broomfield

The need for victim services funding

At age 14, I was not taught or told about consent. I was not taught that I have the ability to say no and that it should be respected. It wasn’t until two years of being an advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault victims and the launch of 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 again in my living room with my parent in the other room.

Prop KK will fund prevention programming to educate youth about understanding and practicing consent, creating boundaries, healthy relationships, and the ability to recognize red and green flags within relationships. This programming empowers youth to recognize red flags like the ones that came up in my 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 vital and lifesaving victim services are in our communities. In addition to supporting the primary victims, children of domestic violence are given the support they need to end the cycle of violence in their own lives.

I urge my fellow Coloradoans 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 get things straight about judges on the ballot

Colorado voters have a say in keeping our judges – don’t let it. You have helpful information available from the Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation in the Voter’s Blue Book and online at KnowYourJudge.com.

This information is collected by the Colorado Judicial Performance Commissions. These bipartisan commissions are made up of citizens, not judges. They are appointed by several authorities, including legislators on both sides of the aisle, our state’s chief justice and the governor.

Commissioners are your neighbors and colleagues, and they take seriously their duty to hold the judges who serve your community to defined standards of performance.

Commissioners volunteer hours to evaluate 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 have had contact with judges, and interviews with judges. It’s a thorough evaluation process that gives voters insight and helps judges do their jobs better.