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As the 2023 Legislative Session Begins in Colorado, Lawmakers Have the Opportunity to Pass Life-Saving Gun Safety Bills

January 9, 2023

Colorado Legislators Return to Denver Following a Year of Deadly Gun Violence, Including the Mass Shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Highlighting the Need for Effective Gun Violence Prevention Measures. 

As the Colorado legislature convenes for their 2023 legislative session today, lawmakers will once again have the opportunity to pass common sense gun safety measures. Colorado lawmakers and Governor Jared Polis continue to prioritize gun violence prevention, and have passed many of the foundational gun violence prevention measures. However, as was highlighted by the horrific shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, public safety laws, like Colorado’s Red Flag laws, are only effective if properly implemented. 

This session, the Colorado legislature will have the opportunity to pass life saving legislation,  including measures to more effectively implement Colorado’s Extreme Risk law, which could have prevented the shooting at Club Q. Additionally, lawmakers should prioritize allocating funding to support community-based violence intervention programs. 

During the 2021-2022 legislative session, Moms Demand Action and Student Demand Action volunteers advocated tirelessly for life-saving gun violence prevention measures and plan to continue their advocacy in 2023.

Here’s what you need to know about gun violence in Colorado:

  • In an average year, 850 people die and 466 are wounded by guns in Colorado.
  • Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Colorado, and an average of 69 children and teens die by guns every year, of which 54% are suicides and 42% are homicides.
  • Communities of color disproportionately bear the burden of our country’s gun violence crisis every single day. Black people in Colorado are 8 times more likely than white people to die by gun homicide. 
  • In Colorado, 75% of gun deaths are suicide and 24% are homicides. This is compared to 59% and 39% nationwide, respectively. 
  • Gun violence in Colorado costs $2,039 per person each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Colorado $11.7 billion each year, of which $156.1 million is paid by taxpayers

More information about gun violence in Colorado is available here.

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