VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: COLORADO LEGISLATURE PASSES THREE CRITICAL GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION BILLS

DENVER — Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots network, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements after the Colorado legislature concurred and fully passed three critical gun violence prevention bills, continuing to pave the way to cement Colorado as a national leader on gun violence prevention. These three bills now head to Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ desk to be signed into law: 

• Senate Bill 3 would ban the purchase and sale of military style semiautomatic firearms capable of accepting detachable magazines unless the individual has obtained a permit and training to do so. SB3 would also prohibit outright rapid-fire conversion devices in Colorado. 
• House Bill 1133 would help Colorado regulate the sale of ammunition by requiring dealers only sell to purchasers at least 21 years and older, and require in-store ammunition sales to be “behind the counter” and require that ammunition dealers follow basic safety measures to prevent the theft of ammunition when shipped to purchasers.
• House Bill 1238 would strengthen the requirements for gun show operators in Colorado and those who sell and buy guns there by requiring gun show promoters to prepare and submit security plans to local law enforcement, require gun show promoters to have liability insurance, implement security measures (including video surveillance), and prohibit anyone under 21 from entering unless accompanied by a parent, grandparent, or guardian.

“While other states fight to maintain their progress and a hostile federal landscape threatens gun safety, Colorado has emerged as a national leader when it comes to lifesaving action on our gun violence crisis,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “Over the past decade, thanks to the relentless efforts of the bill sponsors, and Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, survivors, and advocates, Colorado has passed critical gun safety policies, including the three passed today, that will keep communities and kids safe. These new laws are a direct result of gun sense champions in the statehouse and the more than 100 dedicated volunteers who showed up, testified, and demanded action this session.”

“Colorado is no stranger to the devastation of mass shootings and the bills passed today will help us ensure a future free of these senseless and preventable tragedies,” and Julie Ort, a gun violence survivor and volunteer with the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action. Ort testified on SB 3.“These are critical gun safety measures, starting with SB 3, which will help keep military style weapons out of our schools and off our streets. We are eternally grateful to the Colorado legislature for championing our safety. As the federal landscape has made it significantly more challenging to combat gun violence in our communities, and we are seeing state legislatures across the nation cower at the will of the extremist gun lobby, today, I am proud to be a Coloradan.” 

“My generation’s childhood has been defined by hiding from school shooters and scanning for exits before entering a room. That’s why we’ll continue to show up, advocate, and testify in support of gun safety laws,” said Stella Kaye, a gun violence survivor, leader of the Students Demand Action chapter at Denver East, and Students Demand Action National Organizing Board member. Stella testified in support of both SB3 and HB113. “These bills will help protect our lives and our safety, while showing that Colorado lawmakers are willing to listen to young people on this issue. We look forward to the signing of this bill by the Governor and are grateful to the bill sponsors, Senators Sullivan and Gonzales and Representatives Boesenecker and Froelich (SB 3) and Majority Leader Duran and Senator Amabile and Kipp (HB 1133), for their relentless advocacy and vision for a safer future.”
In an average year, 977 people die and 1,392 are wounded by guns in Colorado. Guns are the second leading cause of death among children and teens in Colorado, and an average of 84 children and teens die by guns every year. Gun violence in Colorado costs $2,039 per resident each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Colorado $11.7 billion each year, of which $156.1 million is paid by taxpayers.