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DENVER » Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed bills placing new restrictions on firearms exactly eight months after dozens of people were shot in a movie theater in suburban Denver.
The bills signed today require background checks for private and online gun sales and ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. The signing comes the same day as the executive director of the state’s Corrections Department was shot and killed at his home.
Jane Dougherty, whose sister was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, was among the guests invited to the signing.
The proposals signal a historic change for Democrats who traditionally have shied away from a battle over gun control in a state where owning a gun is as common as owning a car in some rural areas.
