This morning, protesters gathered at the state capitol to support gun violence prevention (GVP) bills currently proposed in the Colorado Senate and Colorado House of Representatives. The protest follows a shooting at East High School on Wednesday the 22nd that has sparked conversations about the lack of gun control in Colorado.
Although the rally was primarily promoted to the Denver Public Schools community, supporters from throughout the metro area showed up, including language arts teacher Millicent Ambroggio.
Here is a short summary of the four bills advocated for by protestors that would strengthen gun control within Colorado:
SB23-168: Victim’s Access to Justice
This bill would decrease legal protections for the Firearm Industry. Passing this bill would allow all other Gun Violence Prevention measures to be legally enforced.
SB23-170: Expand Colorado’s Red Flag Law
This bill expands the list of who can file an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) to remove all firearms from the possession of someone in crisis. This bill would allow teachers and therapists to report people in crisis who should not have firearms access. It would also expend funds for use in public education about the process of requesting an ERPO.
SB23-169: Raising the Age to 21 Years
This bill increases the legal age to purchase, possess, sell, or transfer a firearm from 18 years old to 21 years old.
HB23-1219: Establish a 3-Day Waiting Period
This bill would place a mandatory three-day waiting period before a firearms seller may deliver a purchased firearm to their customer. This bill specifically intends to address the extremely high suicide rate in Colorado.
The protest specifically encouraged participants to “demand the governor sign all 4 GVP into law” by emailing him at governorpolis@state.co.us.
Further coverage of the responses to Wednesday’s shooting will continue after the break.
