How sad and ironic, that this happens the day after several cowardly Democratic senators refused to support an assault weapons bill. I guess none of this will matter until it's one of their relatives lying dead:

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed new gun control legislation into law on Wednesday, just hours after the head of the state's prison system was shot dead. Tom Clements, 58, was the head of the Colorado Department of Corrections. He was shot once, fatally, in his home Tuesday night. The Denver Post has more details on the shooting:

Clements' wife, Lisa, told a 911 dispatcher that the gunman rang the doorbell and then shot her husband in the chest, according to a dispatcher's recording. She told the dispatcher she was not sure if the gunman was in the house.

Police are still searching for the shooter, and have not yet identified any suspects, according to Reuters. The Post notes that police are looking for a "boxy" two-door vehicle seen outside his home at the time of the shooting. Officials say that the shooting doesn't appear to be the result of a home invasion, and that they're not sure whether it was random or if Clements was targeted, possibly because of his job.

Colorado's new gun laws will, starting July 1st, require background checks for online and private gun sales, and ban ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds. While some county sheriffs and legislators in the state have vocally opposed the new laws, Hickenlooper's signing of the bills on the eight-month anniversary of the Aurora movie theater shootings was emotionally charged. Here's the Associated Press describing the scene:

Hickenlooper was surrounded by lawmakers who sponsored the bills at the signing ceremony. Before signing the first bill, which requires purchasers to pay fees for background checks, he looked around with a solemn look on his face and then began signing it. Every time he signed a bill, applause erupted from lawmakers and their guests, which included families of the victims of last year's mass shootings in Aurora and Connecticut ... After signing the bills, Hickenlooper hugged various lawmakers and victims.

There's such a split in how urban and rural dwellers experience guns. It's probably hard for rural gun supporters to understand just how common it is for city residents to be hit by stray gunfire -- often, when they're home sleeping in their own beds. They can't relate to the sense of violation and outrage, because they rarely experience anything like it. But both factions in the New York state house managed to come together long enough to put aside those differences and pass a comprehensive gun bill yesterday. Congratulations! We don't see much real bipartisan cooperation these days:

New York lawmakers on Tuesday approved the toughest gun control law in the nation, expanding the state's existing assault weapons ban and addressing gun ownership by those with mental illnesses in the first major legislative action in response to the Newtown, Conn., school massacre.

The measure passed the state Assembly 104-43 after passing the state Senate 43-18 Monday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo quickly signed the legislation on Tuesday.

"This unfortunately required tragedies and loss of life to actually spur the political process to action," Cuomo said in remarks minutes before signing the bill.

"This will be the toughest gun control package in the nation," Sen. Jeffrey Klein, leader of the Independent Democratic Conference that shares majority control with Republican senators, had told The Associated Press. "All in all, it is a comprehensive, balanced approach that will save lives."

In a statement Tuesday, the National Rifle Association said it was "outraged" and called New York's gun control bill "draconian."