Council to advocate for gun violence prevention

Daily Camera

The City Council 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 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.

Council members 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 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.

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

“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.