Strong Gun Laws Save Lives: Man Who Allegedly Made Threats of a Mass Shooting at UCLA Arrested in Boulder, Colorado After Previously Attempting to Purchase Firearm

Moms Demand Action, the grassroots arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement following the arrest of a man in Boulder, Colorado accused of threatening a mass shooting against the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), including a manifesto with threats against individuals in that school’s philosophy department. Authorities allege that the suspect previously attempted to buy a handgun in Jefferson County, Colorado, but was denied due to a protection order filed against the suspect in California.

“Thanks to strong gun safety laws in California and Colorado, tragedy was prevented,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “We’re incredibly grateful to the local, state, and federal officials who worked to neutralize this threat and keep the Boulder community safe. This should serve as a reminder to elected officials across the country: gun safety laws save lives.”

After Coloradans experienced multiple incidents of heartbreaking gun violence last year, including the shooting in Boulder, Colorado Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers turned their grief into action — resulting in record breaking volunteer engagement and one of the most successful gun violence prevention legislative sessions Colorado has ever seen. Lawmakers took historic steps forward, passing multiple bills to protect Colorado communities, including laws that now close the Charleston loophole, establish an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, repeal the preemption law that prevented local governments from enacting gun safety measures, ensure secure firearm storage, and keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. 

According to the new Everytown Gun Law Rankings, which scores every state on the strength of its gun laws and compares it with its rate of gun violence, California and Colorado respectively rank first and tenth in the country in strong gun laws. The new analysis concludes that states with strong gun safety policies, such as background checks on all gun sales and extreme risk laws, have lower rates of gun violence while states with weaker gun laws, such as permitless gun carry and Stand Your Ground, have higher rates of gun violence.