Letters: Readers’ takes on Proposition KK — The tax erodes gun rights. It’s essential for Colorado’s crime victims.

Don’t tax gun owners exercising their rights

Re: “Fund services for victims with a tax on guns,” Oct. 27 editorial

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

I know that the true purpose of this increase is to curb one’s Second Amendment rights.

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

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

Jeff Jasper, Westminster

I can just about guarantee that the originator of Prop. KK is a liberal, gun-hating Democrat politician who wouldn’t know what end of a gun the bullet comes out of. Instead of taxing law-abiding gun owners who purchase ammunition for recreational shooting and hunting, or defense, why don’t we just reallocate part of the $40 billion Colorado annual budget to take care of “services?”  Oh!  I forgot. No Democrat politician ever saw a tax he or she didn’t love.

Richard D VanOrsdale, Broomfield

A need for victim services funding

At the age of 14, I was not taught or told about consent. I wasn’t taught that I had the ability to say no and that it needed to be respected. It wasn’t until I was two years into being an advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault victims and the launching of the #MeToo movement that I finally identified myself 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 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 gives youth the power to recognize the red flags like the ones that popped up in the relationship with my abuser. I think about what this programming could have meant to me as a teen.

As an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, I know how critical and life-saving victim services are in our communities. In addition to supporting the primary victims, children of domestic violence are provided the necessary support 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 judges on the ballot

Colorado’s voters have a say in retaining our judges — don’t pass this up.  You have helpful information available from Colorado’s Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation in the voter Blue Book and online at KnowYourJudge.com.

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

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

The commissioners put in hours of volunteer time to evaluate judges and provide voters with a summary of their findings. They look at multiple data points, including observation of judges in the courtroom, review of rulings, surveys and interviews with attorneys and others who had contact with the judges, and interviews with the judges. It’s an in-depth evaluation process that gives voters insight and helps judges do their jobs better.