When I returned to civilian life in the fall of 1970 following my release from the U. S. Navy, the phone company assigned me to supervise an Installation and Repair crew at a garage in downtown Washington, D.C. During my job orientation I was informed if I were to be mugged in the neighborhood where I was assigned, the company would limit its reimbursement for any losses to $300. Muggings of company employees had grown so frequent that the world’s largest company, AT&T, had adopted a formal policy that advised workers to purchase a cheap watch, leave their wedding rings and credit cards at home but carry between $50 to $100 in cash. Apparently, muggers were surly if they discovered you only carried pocket change. This was a discomfiting “Welcome Home” to our nation’s Capital.

Republican freshman State Rep. Ron Weinberg of Loveland failed to receive any such warning of his risks when he began parking his car on the circular drive surrounding Colorado’s Capitol. For whatever reason, he happened to be legally transporting two firearms in his vehicle recently. It probably felt reasonable for Weinberg to presume a building protected by Colorado State Troopers should be what his fellow Republican Stephanie Luck of Penrose indicated it should be “…the safest parking lot” in all of Denver. Thieves broke into Weinberg’s car, nonetheless, and ran off with his pair of pistols.

It sounds as though Weinberg is a fully responsible gun owner, whose firearms were unloaded and protected with trigger locks according to his theft report to the State Patrol. Luck rose to object to public rebukes from several Democratic legislators, including newly elected House Speaker Julie McCluskie, labeling Weinberg as an irresponsible gun owner. Luck pointed out these accusations were precisely the kind of “blame the victim” charges Democrats usually condemn. This all proved a minor dust-up during an otherwise upbeat opening to the new session. Her objection signals what appears likely to emerge as a matter of contention in later legislative debates.

Issues of safety surrounding the Capitol have presented a jurisdictional problem for decades. Though the Capitol compound is a state property, it sits squarely within sight of Denver’s City and County building. Yet Denver police have long hesitated to patrol these Capitol grounds. Through summer months in the 1980s, before barriers were installed preventing public access to the perimeter driveway, it served as a favored hook-up spot for gay cruisers, as well as drug deals, flagrant solicitation and episodic mayhem. State Patrol presence was reduced to a skeleton presence after the Legislature adjourned and Denver police steered clear of the evident turmoil.

Senator Ken Clark of Kim, who served on the Capitol grounds committee, jokingly suggested he and his trusty rifle could solve the problem if given keys to the balcony around the dome. What was merely a kerfuffle then, following his remarks, would almost certainly have precipitated a major outcry today.

Eventually Denver agreed to routinely sweep the drive. It was apparent, however, subsequent to the ugly spray painting of the Capitol by George Floyd protestors in 2020, that greater security is once again required. That should start by installing a gun locker where legislators can secure any weapons they find themselves transporting. I doubt the break-in to Representative Weinberg’s vehicle required more than a few minutes, perhaps less. And though trigger guards may be sufficient to safeguard against curious children, it’s nearly certain they were swiftly removed by the thugs who stole his guns. If they had been more proficient, they probably could have absconded with his auto as well.

As former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey laments, Colorado criminals can read our laws just as well as attorneys. We should not be surprised that we lead the nation in car thefts when a thief knows he will be released from jail the next day. Treating car theft as a property crime rather than an act of violence ignores the profound consequences for most victims. Adverse repercussions strike most severely against the poorest among us, who must rely on their cars to get to work, access health care and purchase groceries. My insurance provides me with a rental for 30 days, time to sort out recovery or a replacement. Not everyone is so lucky. Cheap insurance offers minimal protections.

I suspect crime will soon become a pivotal issue in Denver’s upcoming Mayoral debates. If you haven’t driven downtown recently, you should make the trip. On New Year’s Eve I was shocked to find half the storefronts along the 16th Street mall empty. Families came for the fireworks but didn’t linger long. While police were corralling the homeless, how much longer will Denver remain a destination for conventioneers when they are repeatedly assailed by panhandlers? City Hall doesn’t need a plan – it needs action (without further delay).

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former Colorado legislator.