Legislative leaders in the House urged guests to be respectful Friday as an epic day of debate on four Democratic gun bills got underway.

The debate could continue into the next day, House Speaker Mark Ferrandino said.

“You’re going to hear stuff you like,” said Minority Leader Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs. “You’re going to hear stuff you don’t like.”

But both he and Ferrandino urged those in the chamber to be respectful of each other and the process.

Democrats enjoy a 37-28 majority, so it would take five defections to give Republicans a victory. So far, no House Republicans have indicated support for any of the bills.

The House GOP caucus called in reinforcements, issuing the following e-mail invitation on Thursday: “You can help House Republicans protect your Second Amendment rights by joining us in the House Gallery.”

Among the first to arrive to get a good seat were Roger Binford and his son Daniel. Roger Binford wanted to stay the whole day but the Aurora resident, who is celebrating his 59th birthday Friday, realized his driver’s license has expiring and he needs to renew it.

The Binfords oppose the bills.

“I think they’re pointless,” Roger Binford said. “The bad guys don’t follow the law.”

The third-floor gallery overlooks the House floor and that is where civil-union activists last year were furious when Republicans, who at the time where in the majority, refused to call up a civil unions bill for debate.

“Shame on you!” they chanted, until they were kicked out of the gallery after one person issue an expletive filled threat.

Ferrandino, a Denver Democrat, said that if the gallery “starts to get rambunctious” like it did last year, the gallery again will be emptied.

“We will have to do that if people can’t be respectful of the process,” he said.

Lawmakers typically adjourn around noon on Friday to allow members in outlying areas time to drive — or fly — home, but there have been times they hunkered down that day and fought into the night.

Such was the case in 2010, when Republicans protested the “Dirty Dozen,” Democratic bills that repealed certain tax exemptions to help erase a budget deficit. Republican Mike May, the House minority leader at the time, had warned his caucus to bring pajamas.

Asked if he could remember when they finished — which turned out to be around 11:30 p.m. — May jokingly e-mailed, “We have not yet adjourned.”

The four gun bills up for debate Friday are: House Bill 1229, requires background checks for all gun transactions; House Bill 1226, involves concealed carry permits on campuses; House Bill 1228, institutes a fee for gun buyers to cover the cost of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to perform background checks; and House Bill 1224, limits magazines to 15 rounds.

Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327, lbartels@denverpost.com or twitter.com/lynn_bartels

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