Later this week, the Colorado Senate is expected to vote on a dangerous proposal that would roll back a crucial gun safety law currently in effect. SB 116 would dismantle the state’s permit and training requirement for carrying a hidden, loaded handgun in public.
Like the vast majority of states, Colorado requires a person to have a permit in order to carry a concealed handgun in public. Obtaining a permit requires handgun safety training and a criminal background check – reasonable measures designed to preserve core public safety standards and prevent dangerous people from carrying hidden, loaded handguns in public places.
SB 116 would end this permit requirement, a reckless step that would allow dangerous people – and those with no firearms safety training – to carry hidden, loaded handguns throughout Colorado.
In other states where the gun lobby has pushed permitless carry bills in recent years, law enforcement leaders have expressed grave concerns about such legislation. Mayors, parents and gun violence survivors have been among the many others urging their representatives not to let the gun lobby push these dangerous bills through the legislative process.
Dave Hoover, a law enforcement officer and member of the Everytown Survivor Network, whose nephew, AJ Boik, was killed in the Aurora Movie Theater shooting, released this statement following the bill’s passage out of the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee’s last week: “As a Republican, hunter, gun owner and law enforcement officer for more than 30 years, I cannot understand why our lawmakers would support allowing anyone to carry a firearm without any training. That is a recipe for disaster. As someone who has had a loved one taken by gun violence, I know personally the importance of finding reasonable and responsible solutions to keeping our communities safe from gun violence. However, dismantling our permitting system to allow concealed carry would be a step in the wrong direction. I ask our elected leaders in the Senate to vote against this dangerous legislation when it comes to the floor.”
Annette Moore, volunteer with the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America also commented on the Senate Committee’s irresponsible vote: “As a wife and mother of two young children, I am deeply concerned about keeping my family safe from gun violence. Allowing individuals – including dangerous people – to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit or safety training would abandon the core public safety standards that protect us. The Senate committee today chose to side with the gun lobby over public safety and we urge the full Senate to oppose this reckless proposal.”
As legislators prepare to debate this bill later this week, we urge you to cover the serious consequences this legislation would have for public safety if enacted into law. More information on SB 116 is here.