January 10, 2013 11:07 AM UTC

State of the State Open Thread

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Part 1 of Gov. John Hickenlooper’s speech today courtesy CBS4:

Watch part 2 after the jump.

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UPDATE: AP’s Ivan Moreno reports:

Hickenlooper called for more background checks in cases where they don’t currently exist, like when someone buys a gun from a seller on Craigslist.

“Let’s examine our laws and make the changes needed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people,” he said. Some Democrats have indicated they will introduce a ban on assault weapons, but Hickenlooper did not mention that proposal in his speech. He said “it’s not enough to prevent dangerous people from getting weapons.”

“We have to do a better job of identifying and helping people who are a threat to themselves and others. That is why we are requesting your support for a comprehensive overhaul of our state’s mental health system,” he said. Last month, he called for an expansion of services for the mentally ill.

Hickenlooper also renewed a call for the passage of civil unions for same-sex couples – legislation that House Republicans blocked last session when they controlled the chamber. With Democrats controlling both chambers now, Hickenlooper said it’s time to pass the legislation.

“This year, let’s do it. Let’s pass civil unions!” he said.

As FOX 31’s Will Holden reports, Hickenlooper gaffed one good at the end:

Reaching what he would later laughingly refer to as the “crescendo” of his address, Hickenlooper found his tongue in a knot as he tried to describe the Coloradans who have  “punched holes in the darkness” over the past year.

“Working together, we can punch holes in some pretty big … We … Oh Jesus,” Hickenlooper said.

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Gov. John Hickenlooper stands and delivers. We’ll update with coverage.