DENVER — Fresh off a historic vote to advance a ban on many high-powered, semi-automatic guns, the Colorado House approved three more gun-related bills over the weekend — sending them across the Capitol for another round of debate.

Those votes on Saturday were followed Monday by the state Senate’s final approval for two other gun reform bills dealing with concealed-carry permits and firearms storage in vehicles.

The House’s Saturday votes — on bills concerning gun dealer licensing, insurance requirements for gun owners, and taxes on sales of guns and ammunition — relied on support only from Democrats, though varying numbers of the majority caucus opposed each bill, joining Republicans.

The party splits were similar for Monday’s votes in the Senate.

The Legislature’s Democrats this year have embraced gun control and reform measures as they seek to reduce gun violence, advancing a slate of bills that would add new restrictions while also seeking to better enforce existing laws. Their Republican colleagues have blasted the legislative package as potentially violating the Second Amendment, and their allies have promised swift legal challenges should many of the bills ever become law.

—The Denver Post

In 12 years Texas will be hotter than any year to date, see deadlier wildfires, study says

FORT WORTH, Texas — A new report on the future of extreme weather in Texas says the state is in store for hotter temperatures, increased severity of droughts and growing wildfire risks.

The report from John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas State Climatologist at Texas A&M University, is an updated 2024 version from his original 2021 report titled, “Assessment of Historic and Future Trends of Extreme Weather in Texas, 1900-2036.”

Nielsen-Gammon crafted the report in collaboration with Texas 2036, a nonpartisan nonprofit focusing on the future of the state. In 2036, Texas will turn 200 and the group aims to provide long-term, data-driven strategies for the state to prosper for another few centuries.

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