What to Know About How Gun Violence Impacts the Latino Community Ahead of Tonight’s U.S. Senate Debate in Colorado

This evening, voters in Colorado will hear from gun lobby loyalist Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) and gun sense champion Governor John Hickenlooper when they face off in a debate in Spanish for the first time. According to Colorado Politics, the debate will air on Telemundo’s network of stations in Colorado and stream live online. The debate was taped on Sunday and conducted in English and the candidates’ remarks have been translated into Spanish.

What to know about the disproportionate impact of gun violence on Latinos in the United States ahead of the debate – which will air for a majority Latino audience:

• Gun violence continues to disproportionately impact Latinos in the United States. Each year, 3,600 Latinos die from gun violence in the U.S. and Latinos are twice as likely to be killed in a gun homicide as white people. Will Senator Gardner explain his inaction on gun safety in the Senate? Gardner has voted against background checks on all gun sales, the bedrock of common-sense gun violence prevention policy, despite background checks being supported by the vast majority of Coloradans.
• Latinos in the U.S. have historically been the target of hate-motivated violence including in August 2019, when the devastating mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, laid bare the deadly consequences of hate and rhetoric against the Latino community. Will Senator Gardner finally denounce white supremacy after President Trump refused at last week’s presidential debate? Will he denounce President Trump’s racist, inflammatory attacks against the Latino community? 

The debate takes place during Latino Heritage Month and is the first Spanish-language Senate debate to take place in Colorado. More information on the impact of gun violence on the Latino community is available here. 

Last week, Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund launched $1 million in television and digital ads against Gardner, slamming Gardner for siding with Donald Trump amid the coronavirus pandemic, and benefiting from millions of dollars from the gun lobby while voting against common-sense gun safety legislation like background checks on all gun sales.

Senator Gardner’s opponent, Governor John Hickenlooper, has taken on the gun lobby and won. As governor, Hickenlooper signed a law requiring background checks on all Colorado gun sales and limiting high-capacity magazines, making Colorado one of the first purple states to enact sweeping gun safety reform. Hickenlooper is running on a common-sense gun safety platform that includes support for federal legislation to require background checks on all gun sales.