The Gun Counter

But city attorneys and police officers are under no delusion that the ban will be enforceable on any broad scale.

"I can't imagine a way to do proactive enforcement," Carr said. "Obviously, there's no circumstance where we go door-to-door and ask people if they've violated the law. So, I think it would mostly be responsive."

Carr's fully expecting a significant amount of non-compliance.

At no point during the council's deliberations on the ordinance have any of the nine members suggested that Boulder might easily be able to execute a full wipe of the items the city may soon ban. Consistently, supporters of the proposal have suggested that it's a worthwhile endeavor if it makes purchasing a dangerous weapon a bit harder for someone intent on doing harm.

"I think there are teeth to it," he said. "I don't think it's symbolic if it saves a life. And it's designed to try to save a life."

John Ramey is a Boulderite who, via Councilwoman Mirabai Nagle, pushed a last-minute alternative proposal to the council's law. Nagle presented his concept, which stripped away the "ban" aspect of the draft and offered a new approach based largely on promoting the certification of more safe and educated gun owners in Boulder.

The council was mostly unreceptive to the idea, which barely saw daylight during the May 1 deliberation, and will almost certainly not be revisited when the council takes up the issue again on Tuesday.

Said Ramey, in an email about the likely effect of the proposed law, "By definition, effective governing must be practical and enforceable. When something isn't enforceable, like the war on drugs, that's a huge sign that the underlying legal model doesn't match the actual problems and realities.

"At best, ineffective laws just displace or morph the problem. Mass shootings declined after Australia's weapons ban, but gun-related crimes doubled in just five years. In countries like the UK and China, they now deal with daily fear of acid, knife, and vehicle attacks."