2026 Gun Violence Awareness and Prevention Month Proclamation

• Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day and this weekend is Wear Orange Weekend.
• Almost 40,000 people in the United States died as a result of gun violence last year.
• To receive this information in another language, please email ghandyside@bouldercounty.gov.

The Boulder County Commissioners recognize June as Gun Violence Awareness and Prevention Month in Boulder County. We recognize this month to raise awareness of the ongoing harm of gun violence. We also recognize this month to emphasize the need for partnership between local, state, and federal governments to protect the lives of our residents through common sense firearm regulation.

We encourage residents to join us in honoring the lives of victims and survivors of gun violence and in building community to prevent gun violence by wearing orange on National Gun Violence Awareness Day (June 5) and Wear Orange Weekend (June 6-7).

We make this proclamation because the United States suffers from an epidemic of gun violence unparalleled in any other developed nation. Almost 40,000 people died as a result of gun violence last year, and the United States ranks highest of all wealthy nations for gun-related deaths.

Gun violence prevention is also a matter of racial equity. Firearm-related deaths continue to be the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States with Black and Latino children more likely to be harmed or die from gun violence than white children due to systemic racism. Areas with disproportionately high rates of shootings often experience poverty, which is tied to inequality, segregation, and racism.

Gun violence impacts all of us. Almost two-thirds of adults report that they or someone they know or care about have experienced gun violence in their lifetime. Suicides are the largest share of deaths related to firearms, followed by homicides and accidental shootings.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Common sense gun violence prevention policy saves lives. Data from the Centers on Disease Control demonstrate that states with stronger gun laws have fewer deaths, which is one of the reasons the Boulder County Commissioners passed Boulder County ordinances to prevent gun violence in 2022.

We have consistently supported, and continue to support, an assault weapons ban. Boulder County passed an ordinance prohibiting the manufacture, import, sale, or transfer of assault weapons in the county. A statewide or national ban on assault weapons is essential to keeping our community safe, and we condemn efforts by the federal government to attack sensible state and local limitations on assault weapons.

During this year’s legislative session in Colorado, we supported the following pieces of legislation, which were passed by the legislature:

• Prohibit Three-Dimensional Printing Firearms & Components: HB26-1144 bans unserialized firearms and unfinished frames, also known as ghost guns”. The law explicitly prohibits 3-D printing of firearms and firearm components.
• Expand List of Petitioners for Protection Order: An extreme risk protection order is a civil court order issued by a judge that temporarily restricts a person’s access to guns, when they are found to be a risk to themselves or others. SB26-004 adds mental health emergency response personnel and institutions such as hospitals and schools to list of people and organizations that can submit a petition to a court for an extreme risk protection order.
• Law Enforcement National Electronic Tracing System & Share Program: HB26-1265 requires law enforcement agencies to register and share data within the national firearm electronic tracing system.

Dated June 2, 2026.

Commissioner Claire Levy

Commissioner Marta Loachamin

Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann

The commissioners made this proclamation at the June 2 Business Meeting.

Visit wearorange.org to find details of local events taking place this weekend.

• Visit the County Commissioners' webpage
• View the Commissioners' Meeting Documents and Records
• Email the Board of County Commissioners

Americans with Disabilities Act Notice

Special Assistance
Boulder County wants to ensure that everyone has equal access to our programs, activities, and services. To request an Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accommodation, please email the ADA Coordinator at ada@bouldercounty.gov, or call 303-441-1386. Submit your request as early as possible, and no later than two business days before the event. Review the Boulder County's ADA Policy