[2] King began training in martial arts in 1977;[3] he is a second degree black belt in Jeet Kune Do and Shorin-Ryu Karate.

[2] King still worked part-time with both the Mesa County Sheriff's Office and American National Protective Services during his first term as a legislator.

[4] In his first legislative session, King introduced a bill, cosponsored by House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and signed into law by Gov.

[11] The task force recommended legislation, co-sponsored by King in the state house, to require that DNA evidence in capital cases be preserved.

[12][13] The bill spurred opposition from a number of district attorneys because of a provision that would require new trials in cases where evidence had been lost by law enforcement.

[15] In November 2007, King led Republican legislators in a letter to President George W. Bush prohibiting illegal immigrants from being detained at jails using tasers.

[20] During the 2008 session, King sponsored legislation to give universities (specifically, Mesa State College in his district and Colorado State University) greater control over their own investment funds,[21][22] to raise bails for DUI charges in which suspects also commit "aggravating offenses",[23][24] and to prevent child pornography from being copied during legal proceedings.

[27] Following the legislative session, King was named to an interim committee focusing on wildfire and development issues in mountain areas of Colorado.

[29][30] In December 2008, King, frustrated with new regulation and with comments made regarding job losses in Colorado's energy industry, called for Gov.

[31][32] Rep. King sought re-election to the Colorado legislature in 2008; he faced no opposition for the Republican nomination[33] and ran unopposed in the general election as well.

[36] In contrast to his typical opposition to tax increases, King also supported a local school bond measure in Grand Junction that was on the 2008 ballot.

HB09-1180[40] would have provided more Second Amendment personal safety options for Colorado concealed carry permit holders, but it was postponed indefinitely in committee.

King was appointed to the Police Officers' and Firefighters' Pension Reform Commission and the Senate Transportation Legislation Review Committee for the 2011 Interim as well.

At the time, King was running to replace Hilkey as sheriff, and denied all allegations and initially refused to drop from the race.