Armed Educators, Parental Rights, and Fiscal Responsibility in Colorado

On Friday, October 3, 2025, Kim Monson examines the fight to protect Second Amendment rights in Colorado, interviews Douglas County School Board candidates focused on parental rights and academic excellence, and explores the dangers of unchecked government spending with community banker Jay Davidson.

Parental Rights and Academic Excellence in Douglas County Schools

Start listening at 16:14 – Hour 1

Matt Smith and Keaton Gamble, candidates for Douglas County School Board running as part of the Common Sense DCSD slate, outline their vision for maintaining the district’s position as the top-performing school system in the metro area. Smith, a Navy veteran and former deputy sheriff now working in IT, emphasizes the importance of protecting girls’ sports and spaces from biological males while strengthening parental involvement. The candidates advocate for opt-in policies that require parental consent before students participate in surveys or programs, rather than the current opt-out system that can catch busy parents off guard.

Douglas County currently boasts a 92% graduation rate under conservative leadership, and both candidates stress the need to continue this trajectory while ensuring transparency in curriculum. Gamble, a senior supply chain manager with three children in the district, highlights that their slate has been forthright about their positions, unlike opponents who have accepted donations from the Douglas County Federation, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers.

“My priority is keeping parents as the first partner in their children’s education and creating that culture in Douglas County School District, where the teachers and staff always see the parents as their main partner in the children’s education.”

Keaton Gamble, Douglas County School Board Candidate

Protecting Second Amendment Rights Through Education and Armed Deterrence

Start listening at 30:49 – Hour 1

Alicia Garcia and Teddy Collins, co-founders of the Second Syndicate, discuss their organization’s efforts to defend gun rights in Colorado and support the FASTER program that trains school staff to be armed defenders. Garcia, who runs Concealed Carry Classes of Denver, explains that the Second Syndicate is fundraising to cover tuition costs and equipment for educators willing to undergo extensive training to protect students. Collins, owner of Spartan Defense in Colorado Springs, notes that rumors of new suppressor bans and armory bills limiting firearm ownership are circulating ahead of the next legislative session.

The conversation turns to the recent school shooting in Evergreen, where the resource officer was on medical leave when the incident occurred. Collins compares the FASTER program to air marshals on planes, providing unknown armed resistance that creates effective deterrence without telegraphing which staff members are carrying. Garcia emphasizes the importance of changing language from “weapons” to “tools” when discussing firearms, helping normalize gun culture for younger generations who have been taught to fear rather than respect these instruments of self-defense.

“We need to make sure our schools are hard-targeted and our children are protected so that they can be nurtured and learned and raised how they should be, without fear.”

Teddy Collins, Spartan Defense Owner and Second Syndicate Co-Founder

Government Spending and the Destruction of Individual Property Rights

Start listening at 66:54 – Hour 2

Jay Davidson, founder and CEO of First American State Bank celebrating its 30th anniversary, brings his Austrian School of Economics perspective to the debate over government shutdowns and fiscal responsibility. Davidson argues that Republicans should embrace government shutdowns as necessary steps toward reducing federal overreach rather than apologizing for them. He notes that even under Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” four trillion dollars in additional spending over revenue means continued growth of the national debt.

Davidson draws parallels between Denver’s fiscal mismanagement and federal dysfunction, criticizing Mayor Mike Johnston’s plan for a $950 million bond measure marketed as not increasing tax rates. The banker explains that this framing obscures the reality that the city is extending taxes that would otherwise sunset when existing bonds are paid off. He traces the progressive left’s strategy to Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom,” warning that the ultimate objective is destroying the individual’s right to property ownership, the foundational principle of capitalism.

“The government only takes, it doesn’t create.”

Jay Davidson, Founder and CEO, First American State Bank