Don't tax gun owners for exercising their rights

Re: “Gun Tax Victim Benefits Fund,” Oct. 27 editorial

The Denver Post supports a massive tax increase on guns and ammunition sold in Colorado. The alleged idea behind Proposition KK is to provide services to crime victims. These victim services are already offered by cities and counties across Colorado. And what guarantee is there that the Democrat-controlled state government won't use that tax revenue for other wild ideas?

I know that the true purpose of this increase is to restrict Second Amendment rights.

If the Denver Post cares so much about victims' rights, then the Post should take a tough stance on crime. If funding victim services is such a big deal, then Democrats can find the funding in the state's $40 billion budget.

Coloradans need to do more with less. Our government can do that too. Vote no to proposal KK.

Jeff Jasper, Westminster

I can almost guarantee that the originator of Prop. KK is a liberal, gun-hating Democratic politician who doesn't know which end of a gun the bullet comes from. Instead of taxing law-abiding gun owners who buy ammunition for recreational shooting, hunting or defense, why don't we simply reallocate a portion of Colorado's $40 billion annual budget to take care of “services”? Oh! I forgot. No Democratic politician has ever seen a tax he or she didn't like.

Richard D. VanOrsdale, Broomfield

There is a need for funding for victim services

At the age of 14, I was neither taught nor told anything about consent. I wasn't taught that I have the ability to say no and that that needs to be respected. It wasn't until I spent two years advocating for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and starting the #MeToo movement that I finally identified myself as a sexual assault survivor and said #MeToo. My abuser didn't listen as I kept saying no in my living room while my parents sat 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 flags in relationships. This programming gives teens the opportunity to recognize the warning signs as they appeared 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 important and life-saving victim services are in our communities. In addition to supporting primary victims, children of domestic violence receive the support they need to break the cycle of violence in their own lives.

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

Courtney Sutton, Colorado Springs

Let's get this straight about the judges on the ballot

Colorado voters have a say in retaining our judges – don’t miss out. Helpful information can be found in the Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation's Voter Blue Book and online at KnowYourJudge.com.

This information is collected by correctional commissions throughout Colorado. These nonpartisan commissions are made up of citizens – not judges. They are appointed by multiple authorities, including lawmakers 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 certain standards of performance.

Commissioners devote hours of volunteer time to evaluate the judges and provide voters with a summary of their findings. They look at 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 insight to voters and helps judges do their jobs better.