Uninfringed: Restoring the Right That Guards All Others
- chazevanson2026
- Jun 19, 2025
- 5 min read
By Chaz Evanson, Candidate for Governor of Colorado
Bottom Line Up Front: The Second Amendment is not a suggestion. It is a command. “Uninfringed” is our standard.
Critics fear that this standard means chaos. We believe it means security. An armed, educated populace is a freer and safer populace. Across America, states that have removed needless restrictions have not descended into lawlessness. In fact, many have seen violent crime fall, because criminals think twice when law-abiding citizens can defend themselves. In Colorado, it’s time we stopped treating constitutional rights as inconveniences. We trust Coloradans to exercise their rights responsibly, and we will not allow the abuses of the few to strip the liberties of the many. We will fully enforce the law against those who misuse firearms to harm others. But we will not surrender our freedoms for a false promise of safety. The right to keep and bear arms is not only about hunting or home defense, it is about guarding every other right from the creeping hand of tyranny. In Colorado, that right will stand strong again.
Constitutional Command: Shall Not Be Infringed. The Second Amendment clearly declares: “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” This is not poetic license. It is the plain language of liberty. Our campaign stands for a robust, originalist interpretation: that law-abiding citizens may keep and carry arms without undue burden, both for self-defense and as a bulwark against despotism. The Founders knew tyranny firsthand. Having just thrown off a king, they enshrined the right to arms not as a privilege, but as an enduring check on government overreach. From Lexington to today, the lesson is clear: a disarmed people is a vulnerable people.
Even Scripture affirms the legitimacy of self-defense. Jesus told His disciples, “He who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one” (Luke 22:36). While we no longer carry swords, the principle remains. We will work to ensure that Colorado’s laws reflect this truth: a well-armed populace is a free, safe, and self-reliant populace.
Colorado’s Current Reality: Eroding Rights, Growing Risks. In recent years, Colorado lawmakers have passed sweeping gun control measures. These include magazine bans, universal background checks, waiting periods, red flag laws, ghost gun bans, and new purchase age restrictions. These laws treat honest citizens as suspects, while doing little to deter criminals. Many violate the plain meaning of the Second Amendment and fail the historical test outlined by the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), McDonald v. Chicago (2010), and most recently New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). Under Bruen, gun laws must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition. We will review, and challenge, Colorado’s firearm restrictions in light of that ruling.
Our Restoration Plan: A Safer, Freer Colorado.
1. Repeal SB25-003: The Magazine and Firearm Ownership Criminalization Law. In 2025, Colorado passed SB25-003, a sweeping and unconstitutional law that bans the sale, transfer, and even possession of most semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines, common, lawful tools of defense, sport, and deterrence. The law also mandates that Coloradans complete a state-approved training course and obtain a permit before exercising their Second Amendment rights. This bill criminalizes peaceable citizens, burdens lawful gun ownership, and violates both the text and historical tradition required under the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision. We will fight for the full repeal of SB25-003. As Governor, I will veto any law that infringes upon the right to keep and bear arms and support legal challenges against those already passed. The right to bear arms does not require a permission slip, it requires courage to defend, and that’s exactly what we will do.
2. Restore Magazine Capacity and Block Firearm BansThe 2013 ban on magazines over 15 rounds criminalizes common tools of self-defense. A standard 9mm handgun often holds 17 rounds; AR-15 rifles, owned by millions for lawful purposes, typically hold 30. These are not extreme or unusual. Limiting law-abiding citizens while criminals ignore the law does not make us safer. We will repeal the magazine ban and oppose any “assault weapon” bans that mischaracterize semi-automatic rifles. Lawful gun owners should not be turned into felons by bad policy. We will also enforce state preemption to block cities like Boulder from passing rogue ordinances that violate statewide rights.
3. Enact Constitutional Carry. We will support legislation to allow permitless concealed carry for adults 21+, joining nearly half the nation. No right should require a paid permission slip. Criminals already carry without regard to the law. Honest citizens shouldn’t be penalized for seeking to defend themselves. Permits would remain for interstate reciprocity, but Coloradoans will no longer need government approval to exercise a constitutional right.
4. Repeal or Reform Red Flag Laws. Colorado’s Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law allows firearms to be seized before a hearing, based on “significant risk” claims that may be vague or misused. This violates due process and deters people from seeking help. We will seek full repeal. At minimum, we will push for reforms: clear and convincing evidence, guaranteed legal counsel, strict penalties for false claims, and limiting petitions to law enforcement. Dangerous individuals should be dealt with through existing criminal statutes, not preemptive confiscation.
5. End the Waiting Period and Restore the Adult Age of Gun Ownership. The recent 3-day waiting period is a blanket presumption of guilt against every adult firearm purchaser. But a right delayed can be a life denied, especially for someone under threat. We’ll repeal this law. We also oppose raising the purchase age to 21. If you can vote, join the military, and pay taxes at 18, you can responsibly own a firearm. Many young women and rural 18–20-year-olds rely on firearms for safety and survival. We will work to restore full Second Amendment rights to legal adults.
6. Eliminate Gun-Free Victim Zones and Restore Preemption. Disarming good people creates soft targets. We will review state buildings, campuses, and other zones where lawful carry is restricted. Where appropriate, we will restore the right to carry. We will also re-strengthen Colorado’s preemption law to prevent cities from creating confusing and conflicting gun regulations. Rights should not disappear at county lines.
7. Promote Education and Enforce Real Justice. Freedom requires responsibility. We support voluntary safety training, youth education, hunter’s safety, and public outreach with groups like Kids S.A.F.E. We’ll encourage partnerships with ranges and retailers for gun locks and safety materials. Meanwhile, we’ll get tough on actual criminal misuse: cracking down on felons in possession, straw purchasers, and gang gun trafficking. Mental health crisis intervention will also be expanded, but without trampling constitutional rights.
8. Rebuild a Culture of Liberty and Respect. Owning a firearm is not shameful, it is responsible. We reject the demonization of lawful gun owners. Defensive gun use stories, though underreported, outnumber criminal uses. We’ll elevate these stories, celebrate our Second Amendment heritage, and propose a “Second Amendment Heritage Day” to honor the role of responsible gun ownership in American and Colorado history, from the frontier to civil rights. Tyrants fear a population that remembers how to fight for liberty. We intend to remind them.
A Clear Choice for Colorado. This is not a radical agenda, it is a restoration of what was always meant to be. We do not advocate lawlessness. We advocate liberty. We will enforce laws that punish violent abuse, while rolling back laws that criminalize freedom. Colorado can be both free and safe. In fact, it must be, because freedom is safety when the people are informed, armed, and unafraid.
The Founders understood it. Our Constitution protects it. And under our leadership, Colorado will once again respect it.
To criminals and tyrants: beware. To law-abiding Coloradans: your rights are not negotiable. The Second Amendment will stand strong again in this state.
Chaz Evanson Candidate for Governor of Colorado
“Faith. Virtue. Freedom.”
Chaz, you are correct that the 2nd Amendment is a command -- but I prefer to call it a "reminder." As you note, the 2nd Amendment does not grant rights, it instead acknowledges pre-existing fundamental human rights -- and prohibits infringement thereof. So, even if the freedom haters were successful in attacking the amendment, the fundamental human rights to armed self defense, etc. would remain intact. The 2nd Amendment reminds us of the importance of an armed society as a deterrent against enemies of freedom, both foreign and domestic. Good luck on your campaign.