BRIGHTON – Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., said he would review security procedures connected to his "government in the grocery" program.

The review comes after a member of the U.S. House was shot and critically wounded during a town hall meeting in Tucson, Ariz.., over the weekend.

           Perlmutter, the 7th Congressional District representative to the Congress in Colorado, holds town hall meetings in grocery stores when he is in Colorado.
            "What Ed does with government in the grocery and what Rep. Giffords was doing and what Safeway and the other grocery stores is a public service they are providing to their constituents and community," said spokeswoman Leslie Oliver. "It's about being accessible and available to your community. It's unconscionable that someone would do this sort of thing."

Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, and Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, said Sunday they plan no changes in the way they meet with their constituents.
            Solano's first town hall meeting of the legislative session is at 10 a.m., Jan. 15, at the Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center, 11151 Colorado Blvd., Thornton. Other such forums are scheduled for Feb. 12, March 12 and April 23. All begin at 10 a.m.
            "I feel it is important to educate on important matters and to allow constituents time to communicate with their state representative," she said. Sometimes, (Adams County) Sheriff Doug Darr attends, and I have had policemen attend as well."
            Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was on a ventilator and could not breathe Sunday morning. She was in critical condition after she was shot in the head at a strip mall. A 22-year-old suspect was arrested. Twenty people were shot. Six were killed, including a 9-year-old girl, a federal judge and a member of Giffords' staff.
            Sonnenberg doesn't plan to make any changes either.
            "For me, I most likely won't change the way I meet with my constituents," he said. "There is always a risk in all the things we do. I probably stand more of a chance of a serious injury farming and ranching. I will still meet with groups that want to talk with me. This is an important part of representing the people of Colorado."

State Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, and state Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, want to continue face-to-face meetings in thir districts in the same manner as before. Neither plan to ask for extra security at the Capitol.

            The Colorado State Patrol handles security at the state Capitol and the surrounding grounds. New rules were put in place a few years ago after troopers shot an armed man outside the governor's office.
            "Security gates at the south basement entrance and the north, first-floor entrance were put into place," Solano said. "The public must enter the Capitol at either of those doors only. All other doors cannot be accessed by the public. I think most legislators feel secure at the Capitol."
            Sonnenberg agreed.
            "The Colorado State Patrol makes our Capitol one of the safest places to work," he said. "I am never concerned about the safety of those on the premises and will not ask for any changes to how they protect us."
            Priola called the incident “a real tragedy for the victims and the families of those involved.”
            “Our family will keep them in our thoughts and prayers,” he said.
           Hodge, who held a series of monthly meetings in the old Brighton Library during the last legislative session, said an isolated incident such as this should not cause an increase in security at the Capitol.

"We already require members of the public to go through a magnetrometer before they can enter 'their building,'" she said.
            Giffords was recently elected to a third term in a largely Republican district that is close to the Mexican border. She beat a Tea Party candidate by 4,000 votes in the November election. Her campaign office was the target of vandals before the election. National media reported authorities were investigating a suspicious package that was left at her local office the day she was injured.
            Solano said even though the country was quite divided, more than 80 percent of the bills that passed the Colorado Legislature last year had support from both sides of the aisle.
            “The media doesn’t publicize the compromising and agreement that takes place and perhaps those stories don’t sell papers or boost TV station ratings,” she said. “What is even more concerning in this state and nation is the lack of health insurance coverage for mental illness. The issue is beginning to get noticed. But the access to care is denied for so many. It appears the recent shooting in Tucson will re-engage in the conversation around mental illness needs for our citizens.”