Upon passage of resolution, Boulder will advocate for gun violence prevention measures

Deborah Swearingen, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.
·2 min read

Apr. 21—Boulder's City Council now plans to advocate for all federal and state legislation that could prevent a mass shooting such as the one that happened last month at the south Boulder King Soopers.

It also will support the city in an appeal of a March 12 district court ruling on Boulder's assault weapons ban in which Judge Andrew Hartman determined that state statute preempts local governments from restricting gun sales and possession.

Councilmembers Aaron Brockett and Rachel Friend, who were tasked with drafting the resolution, said they worked with the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to vet the language. They also met with Gov. Jared Polis, a move encouraged by the city's state lobbyists.

The gun violence prevention resolution, unanimously approved via the council's consent agenda on Tuesday, first and foremost advocates for an assault weapons ban.

It also outlines a number of measures the city would support, such as:

* Regulation of short-barreled firearms equipped with pistol braces;

* A waiting period of at least six days for firearm purchases;

* The addition of a 10-year firearm prohibition for individuals with conviction of, or outstanding warrants for, violent misdemeanors or crimes that are linked to an increased risk of gun violence;

* A repeal of the state preemption on local regulation of firearms;

* Universal background checks on all sales of firearms;

* Requirements for a firearm owner to keep his or her firearm in a locked container or secured with a locking device;

* A requirement for firearm owners to report an unaccounted-for-firearm; and

* An increase in the minimum age to purchase and possess firearms.

"After the incredible tragedy that our community experienced last month, we feel like it's very important for us to step forward and really take up advocacy as much as we can for legislation at the state and federal level that would have some chance of preventing similar tragedies like this from happening in other cities across the country," Brockett said.

"In drafting the resolution, we were advised or encouraged to focus on gun violence prevention measures that would have made a difference in our mass shooting," Friend agreed.

Following some discussion about the specific language used, Brockett and Friend agreed to meet two-on-two with Councilmember Mary Young and Mayor Pro Tem Junie Joseph, who recommended changes, and to bring back any suggested amendments.

Joseph suggested some minor changes, including removing language that she called passive and impersonal that said "an assault weapon was used." Instead, Joseph recommending saying "a gunman used an assault weapon" or something similar.

"It was a person at the end of the day who did that terrible act," Joseph said.

In an effort to encourage collaboration, the city intends to share the resolution with its state representatives as well as other councils and commissions in the region.